5 plus 4
by RobDaZombie
Summary: For most people, it is a simple mathematical problem. For Keitaro Urashima, they are numbers that will dramatically change the rest of his life.
1. prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or any of its characters.

Author: This prologue is loosely based off of the Manga, where Keitaro has found out that he has failed his entrance exams for a third time. After that, the story takes on a completely different route.

...

* * *

Keitaro woke up from his futon, his head pounding like no tomorrow. He unconsciously reached for his spectacles and sighed sorrowfully. One side of his brain told him to get ready and have breakfast downstairs, whilst the other side told him to go back to bed and finish off that delightful dream he was having. As much as he wanted to return to his covers, the faint but heavenly smell of breakfast made him surrender to the first option. Despite his less-than-cheery mood, avoiding Shinobu's home-made cooking was an unquestionable sin. Keitaro caressed his stomach as it began to growl, a growl that only reinforced his former motive.

Replacing his pajamas for his casual clothing, Keitaro took his time as he made his way downstairs to the dining room. An impressive display of edibles were laid out on top of the table, their combined aroma fuelling his hunger to an even greater degree. Surrounding the table were all of Hinata-Sou's tenants; they just required their manager to make the dining room complete.

Keitaro greeted everyone whilst trying to mask a yawn; an attempt which he failed at miserably. The five girls looked at their manager with expressions differing from each person: excitement, solemn joy, discreetness, lethargy and icy silence. Despite their varied personalities, they returned his greeting, with the exception of the latter. As he sat down, Keitaro took note of the behaviour belonging to the wordless girl, and felt a cold dread emitting from his shoulders down to his fingertips.

Sinking his teeth into a slice of toast, Keitaro tried to forget about the disastrous night that occurred yesterday; he had plenty of managerial duties to be getting on with, so he tried to delve into some thoughts based on his work. Thinking about work only made him more depressed, however; every day was an unsavoury montage of cleaning, scrubbing, polishing, fixing, re-fixing and tidying up. In all actuality, doing all of these chores would not be a problem, if he didn't have to evade mega punches, swords and flying robots in the process.

To break off the silence, it was the swordswoman, of all people, who decided to open the conversation. Before speaking, she promptly cleared her throat, which according to Keitaro, sounded like a dragoness demanding attention.

"Naru-sempai, Urashima, I offer my condolences regarding your entrance examinations."

Keitaro, sitting opposite Motoko, offered her a weak smile, inwardly surprised that the raven-haired girl showed some humanity. Condolences, he thought with dry humour; it wasn't like one of his family members had died unexpectedly.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Yeah, don't fret about it," Kitsune joined in, always with that casual demeanour of hers, "so the pair of you hit a bad break, big deal! It's not the end of the world y'know!"

"K-Kitsune-sempai is right!" Shinobu added, trying to sound as bold as possible.

Kaolla Su nodded vigorously, speechless because her speech was currently engaged with a large banana; apparently Shinobu's cooking was not enough to sedate the young foreigner.

Appreciating the words of encouragement, Keitaro picked up his glass of orange juice and slowly began to sip the cold drink. He was only successful in wetting his lips, however, when he heard the voice belonging to the fifth member of Hinata-Sou.

"Well _I_ won't fret about it," Naru stated, lifting her nose up as she placed her chopsticks by her plate, "but heaven knows how I managed to fail! I swear! I must have just missed the mark by one or two points!"

Motoko nodded once. "If that's the case for the both of you, then there should be no trouble in accomplishing your goals next year."

Naru raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Wh… What do you mean by 'both of you'?"

Kitsune shrugged. "Well, as much as it sucks to admit it, you're a ronin now, just like Keitaro!"

The auburn-haired girl promptly rose from her chair and banged both fists on the table, assuring everyone that she was no joke. Keitaro had lost count of the number of times that Naru's fiery temper got the better of her.

"Don't you dare place me in the same category as that bonehead!" she shouted. Upon complaining, she pointed at Keitaro without looking at him. "Here's a reality check! I failed the entrance exams _once_. This idiot has failed _three_ _time__s_, meaning I'm not 'just like Keitaro', okay?!"

Kitsune waved her hands in protest, unsure whether it was the caffeine in her coffee or Naru's words that had lifted her drunken state. "Woah, girl, relax! I was just kidding around!"

"Well it wasn't funny Kitsune!" retorted Naru, "No one should ever compare me to him!"

Keitaro closed his eyes, his right hand firmly wrapped around his glass. The unwanted memories of last night came flooding back to haunt him. He had honestly thought Naru had extinguished all of her fire back then, but all it took were a few words from Kitsune to trigger the anger. Keitaro just didn't feel like retaliating right now. He was tired, fed up, and hopefully expected the rest of the day to be quiet… but it didn't take Naru long before she began talking again.

"I mean you would think, in order to find his promise girl, that dummy would have studied three times as hard, much less fail three times in a row!"

She smiled darkly to herself, as though she just thought of a few secret jokes.

"Then again, this promise girl has probably already graduated from Todai! Or perhaps she's already married, and has forgotten about the promise altogether! Or maybe… hmm… maybe the promise girl doesn't even exist, and is just a fragment of that idiot's imagin-"

An abrupt and disturbing sound rendered Naru's dialogue to a ceasefire. Keitaro squeezed his glass so tightly, that the top-half was entirely crushed, leaving the base of the glass looking like a jagged iceberg. Keitaro felt his hand embedded by tiny shards of glass, as well as the unorthodox sensation of cold juice mingling with warm blood. Nobody knew how to react, frightened as they were; they expected him to respond to Naru's cold outbursts, but they never anticipated anything like this.

Disregarding his audience, Keitaro grabbed a tissue from his trouser pocket, and with the aid of it, began to pluck out each shard of glass, one by one. Once they were all carefully removed, he wrapped the tissue around his hand.

He looked at his half-finished plate. There was still a rasher of bacon and some fried egg left. The remainder of Shinobu's cooking was just begging to be eaten, but the food just didn't seem to satisfy him anymore. Naru's talk about the promise girl put him off eating anything. The fact that this girl might have already graduated from Todai had cast a black cloud over him. The possibility of her being married with a handsome and successful husband gave him a really disturbed feeling…

…but her to be a dream? Keitaro shook his head. No. There was no way she was a fragment of his imagination. He remembered when they were making sandcastles in the sandpit. He remembered the quick kiss he received on his right cheek; he still felt that kiss, as though it happened only moments ago. It was no dream. It was a memory. A memory he would cherish for the rest of his life.

Holding the wound with his free hand, Keitaro raised himself off the chair and left the girls to their stunned silence.

Naru hung her head low and whispered two words.

"Sorry Keitaro."

Whether her words were too quiet, or whether he chose to ignore her, Keitaro quietly returned to his room.

* * *

He spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon sitting by his wooden desk. On top of the desk was a pile of books and a messy array of paperwork, all of it revision for the Todai Entrance Exams. The mountain of literature made him wonder, just briefly wonder if making it to Todai was even worth combating for. At one point he thought maybe it was time to give it all up; he would be a three year ronin for the rest of his life, but at least he could concentrate on a full time position, and work his way slowly up the career ladder.

"Naru was harsh in what she said," he quietly told himself, "but she might be right; no girl, promise or otherwise, would wait four years for me. Maybe… maybe I need to rethink my life."

Keitaro deposited the books and the papers away in his storage cupboard, the first sign of work he had done all day. When that was complete, he looked at the bare surface of his desk. He felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. In a way, it was… surreal. A simple alteration in his room was all it took, and already he had taken a positive leap to another direction. Before he contemplated his road to recovery, his mind decided to go for a little spin; everything he had to drink last night was coming back to trouble him.

"Ugh, I'm guessing I'm still a bit hung-over," he mused, feeling rather groggy, "I can't even remember how many drinks I had in that bar."

"Well I hope you're not too hung-over."

Startled, Keitaro whipped his head to the door. Sure enough, the nonchalant voice matched the laid-back persona, but wow; he must have been really preoccupied to not even notice her sliding the door open and stepping inside his room.

"A-Aunt Haruka!" he gasped, "When did you-"

Haruka inwardly cursed herself for leaving her fan at the tea shop, but now was not the time to think about such idle thoughts.

"Keitaro, I need you to come with me."

* * *

After their short journey, Haruka turned the key and pushed the door open, beckoning her nephew to enter the room. On Sundays, the tea shop was only open to customers until noon, to which afterwards would be closed for the rest of the day. Haruka took this opportunity so she could have an urgent face-to-face chat with Keitaro. Keitaro sat down as Haruka presented to him a nice steaming cup of coffee. She then joined him at the table.

"This is about me failing the entrance exams, isn't it?" Keitaro asked grimly, taking the coffee to his lips.

Haruka sighed as she noted her nephew's crestfallen face. She whipped out a cigarette from her overalls and placed it between her lips.

"Unfortunate as that may be, this meeting is regarding another matter entirely."

Keitaro set his cup down as Haruka slid a binder in his direction. With a mix of suspicion and worry, Keitaro slowly opened the binder and examined the first page.

"_Name… …Izumi… age… profession… hobbies… previous schools… colleges…"_

He briefly glanced at Haruka, who casually exhaled from her cigarette. With arising fear, he flipped over to the following pages, quickening his reading ability. He closed the binder unconsciously.

"Haruka, are these-"

"Applicants received via fax," Haruka cut him off, "as of next week, four new tenants will be arriving at Hinata-Sou… that is, unless you disapprove of course."

With his mind becoming a rollercoaster of thoughts, Keitaro examined the binder again, just to make sure everything was absolutely one hundred percent crystal clear. He flipped over the pages and noted the names of each applicant.

"These are all girls!" he realised.

Haruka tilted her head in a slightly bemused manner.

"You do live in an all-girls dormitory," she reminded him.

Ordinarily, Keitaro would have recognised his own stupidity, and would have concluded this by sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. The sheer weight of this sudden news, however, overruled everything.

"Like I said," Haruka added, "it is entirely up to you whether you want them to live here or not. Personally, I thought you would neglect their offers straight away, considering the position you are in."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, what I mean is… it is difficult enough to juggle your studies and managerial duties, let alone looking after your tenants."

Keitaro gave Haruka's words some thought. What she said did make a lot of sense. As it is at the moment, every day in Hinata-Sou was a maelstrom of madness and misunderstandings. As a result, Keitaro ended up being a chew toy, a punching bag, a test subject and a head magnet for frying pans, but like an iron-clad boomerang, he would always come back, as though nothing had ever happened to him. No man, no matter how tough, no matter how strong, could ever withstand that sort of punishment for one day, let alone a few months. It was only up until recently that things were starting to take a toll on him. Then again, for Keitaro, life was always a bumpy road…

"Do you have a pen?"

Haruka widened her eyes in amazement, nearly choking on her own nicotine. She nodded and fetched a ballpoint pen from her apron pocket. Keitaro gently received the pen and scribbled down his signature wherever it was required.

"Done!" he announced. He placed the pen down and headed for the door.

Haruka stood up and faced the leaving form of her nephew. "Woah, hang on there! Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

As he pushed the door handle, Keitaro glanced to one side, observing Haruka's change in personality.

"Positive," he replied, a smile escaping his lips, "if they are interested in staying here, then I have no objections. That's my decision and that's final!"

Haruka acknowledged her nephew's decision with a simple nod, his happiness infectious enough to make her smile as well. When Keitaro left the tea shop, Haruka took her time in picking up the phone on her counter. She dialled a number that she knew all too well, and waited for the other end to speak. A voice finally answered.

"Hi there… yes, it's me… …yes… …yes, everything has been resolved."


	2. chapter one

"Konno-san! Su-chan! How are the decorations coming along?"

"See for yourself hon!"

Keitaro observed the décor shown around the living room and nodded approvingly; he didn't want anything elaborate or excessive, but at the same time, he wanted to show the newcomers that he and the tenants had made some kind of effort for their arrival. Since decorating Hinata-Sou was a lengthy task, it was going to require two tenants to fulfil this objective. Kitsune and Kaolla volunteered for the job, and Keitaro was surprised to see how well they were cooperating.

"I… I've nearly finished the food Sempai!"

The manager hurried over to the kitchen, his mind buzzing as he jogged there. He had to take a step back to contemplate the immaculate finger foods and other edibles Shinobu spent the last couple of hours preparing. The food stains on her gloves and apron were an indication of her hard work.

"Shinobu-chan, this is incredible!" Keitaro remarked, "You did this all by yourself?"

The young girl blushed, her stomach full of butterflies as she tried to soak in the praise. With all honesty, Shinobu would cook for an entire regiment, if the reward was seeing a happy smile on her Sempai's face. "Th-Thanks… I just hope the new tenants will like them."

As they were talking, a tanned arm reached up and tried to snaffle a triangular cheese and tomato sandwich. Shinobu quickly spotted this, and gently whacked the hand away with a wooden spoon.

"No Su-chan, not until later!" Shinobu reprimanded.

Kaolla Su rubbed her sore hand and pouted. "But it looks so yummy…"

"Have you done the decorations?" Keitaro asked.

Kaolla spun to face her oniichan and nodded rapidly.

"That's great! See if Motoko-chan needs any help outside!"

"Roger!" the girl replied with a quick salute.

The hyperactive girl bounced out of the dormitory, and Keitaro decided to leave Shinobu to prepare the finishing touches. He faintly heard Motoko and Kaolla conversing with one another, with the older girl telling her to help scoop up the fallen leaves with the provided bags. As Keitaro was gathering his bearings, the main door slid open, which was soon followed by another familiar voice.

"I'm home!"

Keitaro greeted Naru by the main door before anyone else had the chance to. Naru carried with her a strap-on handbag and a large bouquet of flowers, a pretty combination of white and lilac. The flowers carried a scent that was pleasant, but not too overbearing.

"Naru, these are perfect!" he celebrated.

Naru whipped her head to one side. Seeing Keitaro's overexcited face was too much for her. "Hmph! It's not like I purchased them for you; I just want the new tenants to think we actually live in a proper all-girls dormitory!"

Keitaro gently received the flowers from the auburn-haired girl. He had already sorted out the dining room table in advance, which was complete with a white cloth, plates and a clear watered vase that was placed on the centre. He carefully extracted the flowers from the packaging before inserting them into the vase.

"Well I'm glad I could be of some use," Naru stated, already upstairs, "now if you don't mind, I need to catch up on some studying before they arrive."

Keitaro nodded, knowing nearly every objective in and out of the dormitory has been accomplished, thanks to the collective efforts of everyone.

* * *

The moment she stepped in her room, Naru unconsciously closed the door behind her, inhaling deeply before letting out a much needed sigh. She set her work and stationery on the desk and began studying. Regrettably, every time the nib of her pen touched her exercise book, unwanted old memories would crop inside her head. She sacrificed a lot, almost everything, just to get a shot at Todai. She sacrificed her friendship with her classmates. She sacrificed all of her weekends, holidays and other possible events that would have led to wonderful memories. She sacrificed her clear vision, required to wear glasses just so she could continue reading and writing. She made so many sacrifices, but they all led to a path without reward. Her sacrifices were in vain.

A week passed by since Keitaro informed everyone that the new tenants will be arriving in Hinata-Sou. This caused great surprise and excitement throughout the dormitory, and even Motoko flashed a smile now and then, which only the sharpest of eyes would be able to detect. Naru however, was the only person who did not feel this way. Along with her depression of failing her entrance exams, additional people would likely bring more chaos to the house. There was plenty of pandemonium since Keitaro's arrival, and already she could picture his 'accidental involvements' with the new girls. Naru only hoped that they would cause as few distractions as possible. Even though she had another year before her next attempt at Todai, all time was invaluable, and studying was her one and only golden objective.

"Okay, I don't have long before they arrive," Naru told herself, massaging her hands before getting to work.

* * *

"Hello, Hinata Residence, Keitaro Urashima speaking."

Keitaro listened intently to the other end, whereas Kitsune pricked up her ears, trying to eavesdrop on the dialogue. The fox noted all the expressions her manager was making.

"… …so you won't be arriving until six? No, no that's fine! No please, don't apologise! It's not your fault the train schedule's been delayed! Yeah, I completely understand! Okay, so I'll see you around six! Great! See you soon!"

Keitaro placed the phone down and breathed heavily, nerves striking him already. Even though it was a conversation via phone, Keitaro could almost visualise a figure talking right in front of him.

"Hey, everything okay?"

The manager glanced left and looked at the very real figure of Kitsune Konno, properly taking note of her clothing. She wore a white casual shirt, charcoal slacks with grey pinstripes, and black shoes that had quite a heel to them. It was probably one of the more modest wardrobes Kitsune had ever selected, though the shirt was transparent enough to see the black bra underneath.

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Keitaro replied, eyeing away from her see-through top. "It's just that one of the tenants cannot make it on time."

"Oh I see."

Kitsune leaned her arm on the circular wooden stand and drummed her fingers on the phone. She reflected on the events that occurred last week, specifically replaying the scene of Keitaro's cold, silent demeanour. With mild suspicion, Keitaro glanced in her direction.

"Are you okay?"

For a short moment, Kitsune continued her quiet observation. Fast forwarding to the present, Keitaro had gone from bitter and depressed to upbeat and determined. She couldn't even pinpoint the last time the Hinata family worked as a cohesive unit. Giving it some more thought, she couldn't recall Keitaro ever being this genuinely happy before. Usually, he would force a smile for the sake of politeness; an appearance that would fool most people but not Kitsune. Recently though, Keitaro didn't feel the need to mask any of his feelings. In the eyes of the fox, this made the man look quite… attractive.

"Here, your tie needs straightening out."

"It does?"

"Mm. Stand still."

The manager fastened his mouth whilst his personal space was being invaded. Kitsune's scent was as alluring as the girl herself, and Keitaro tried valiantly not to inhale any more of her aroma. With a swift tug and a pull of his tie, Kitsune gave Keitaro's wardrobe a quick once-over before nodding favourably. Yesterday, Keitaro bought a grey suit, a white shirt and a maroon tie, and Kitsune admitted it was a striking combination.

"There, done."

"Ah… thanks."

Keitaro felt a little flustered from Kitsune's sudden forwardness. He pondered why she was being so kind to him – and then figured that her being nice might be all just an act, so she could avoid paying the rent this month. He instinctively glanced at his wristwatch, and used this as an excuse to get away from this difficult situation.

"Forty-five minutes left," he told himself, "um, I'll just check up on Motoko-chan and Su-chan!"

As he abruptly scampered out of the dormitory, Kitsune watched the leaving form of him, a solemn sadness emitting from her features.

* * *

"…forty-five minutes, forty-five minutes, forty-five minutes, forty-five minutes…"

Every elapsing second caused his heart to beat a little faster. After passing Haruka's news onto the tenants, Keitaro had become pretty nervous all week. Now it was the final countdown, and even the cool, crisp afternoon air failed to penetrate his aura of worry. He gazed at the sky and his nervousness increased further. A platoon of dark grey clouds made their presence known, slowly travelling forward towards the hotsprings and the dormitory. Just my luck, Keitaro thought with panic, the weather forecast on television predicted fine sunny weather as well.

"Shoo clouds! Go away! Go somewhere else!" Keitaro shouted, jumping about and hoping the threatening vapours will copy the manic movements of his waving arms.

Motoko and Kaolla Su observed the retarded antics of their manager; they were able to finish their hotspring duties, and were on the way back home. They both stopped moving and continued staring at him. Whilst a sweat drop appeared behind Motoko's head, Kaolla found the antics of Keitaro to be rather amusing.

"It is certified that Urashima has completely lost his mind," Motoko remarked.

Kaolla looked up at the sky, a forefinger pressed on her lips. "Oniichan wants the clouds to go away, huh? I have a device in my room that can do that!"

Motoko sighed as her eyes shifted towards the smaller girl. "I would advise you do not use such a device."

* * *

…

…

…

And so time passed on by. The hotsprings were clean, the dormitory was spick and span, and the cloudy weather managed to hold itself off for the time being. Furthermore, everyone looked very respectable in their chosen outfits. Shinobu wore a blue shirtwaist dress with cream buttons, Motoko sported a light clothed red jumper and navy jeans, Naru modelled a purple coloured sundress… and Kaolla… well, she still had on her sailor school uniform, but at least she had the courtesy to wear trainers and socks this time. One of Keitaro's main challenges was to avert eye-contact from the cleavage Naru's dress was partly offering; staring at this heavenly vision for more than a millisecond would surely result in him becoming the filling of an iron fist sandwich. The other challenge was containing his overflowing tension regarding the new tenants. Two of them should be arriving any minute now, the third tenant should arrive later… but he had yet received news of the fourth girl.

The time was nearing four o'clock, and lots of panic-filled particles were pulsating inside the manager's skull. The first two girls _should_ arrive at four o'clock, but would they arrive precisely on time? They could be five, ten or twenty minutes late, perhaps more. They could even arrive early; they could tap on the door this very instant.

"Don't panic… don't panic…" Keitaro kept reminding himself.

"Keitaro are you okay?" asked Naru.

"NARU! STOP PANICKING!" Keitaro shouted, grabbing the girl by her shoulders and shaking her like a ragdoll.

Naru broke off his hold by flicking him on the nose, which due to her strength, was equivalent to a Mike Tyson left hook. "Will you give it a rest already?! The only one acting like a spaz is you!"

The rest of the tenants smiled awkwardly at the interaction between manager and tsundere, except Kaolla; the way she was springing up and down suggested she wanted in on the action as well.

"_I hope the new tenants can put up__ with our outward behaviour," _thought Kitsune, as Motoko tried to keep everything under control.

* * *

…

…

"Excuse me sir, we're looking for a place called 'Hinata-Sou'."

The old man, donned in robes of beige and brown, replied wordlessly with a warm smile, revealing the many wrinkles on his face. He simply turned right and pointed up at the mountainous flight of large stony steps. The two girls looked at the direction the old man was indicating. The smaller one who asked the question possessed an air of gloom; the top half of her features turned into a dark shade of grey.

"Uh… thank you," she uttered, finding it hard to sound appreciative, due to the uphill struggled that awaited her.

The old man nodded and shuffled away from the pair, leaving the two of them to face their fate. The taller girl, knowing these steps were the homestretch between here and their destination, turned her frown upside-down and decided to just go for it, much for the chagrin of her smaller friend.

"Come on! Hurry, hurry! Not much further now!"

The girl looked up at her friend, who was already on the twelfth step. She furrowed her brows and debated on whether to purchase some climbing gear before attempting this hellacious ascension.

* * *

…

"It can't be long now," murmured Keitaro, trying to keep as cool as possible.

Admittedly, the tenants themselves were feeling the pressure too; none of them could remember the last time they had anyone around. No matter how calm they tried to look, it was going to be a life-changing scenario for everyone.

"Hey everyone, is it me, or did I just hear something…?"

Naru huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"Good grief! Will you stop with the paranoia already?! You really need to-"

The girl abruptly ceased the middle of her reply. She narrowed her eyes slightly and listened with intent, wondering whether it was just her imagination. She put her hands to her lips, realising Keitaro was right this time. It didn't take long before everyone else tuned in on the two faintly heard voices, which were growing more and more distinct with every second. One sounded chirpy and excited, almost as if ecstatic upon arriving here. The other appeared to be breathing dramatically.

Keitaro could not take the pressure anymore; he opened the main door and dashed forward. He had been rehearsing all week on his introductory speech, but when the big moment arrived, Keitaro had forgotten practically everything that was stored in his memory. Watching him dash outside, the older girls felt a twinge in their stomach; perhaps a foreshadowing regarding their clumsy manager.

Sure enough, their intuitions were correct.

The five girls ran outside, and froze in an instant.

Keitaro had tripped over his own two feet, and his uncontrollable momentum made him collide into the taller of the new tenants. As a result, the confronter had arranged himself on top of the confronted, and it didn't take the confronter too long before he recognised the dire situation he got himself into. Keitaro knew the situation was dire because the feeling was so inexplicably sensational. The way his chest pressed onto hers. The way their fingers unconsciously interlaced. The way their eyes were locked on one another's…

…Keitaro retracted his face away, bolted to his feet and apologised profusely, bowing countless times. Feeling the angry vibes emitting from Naru and Motoko, Keitaro instinctively apologised to them as well. However, something unforeseen happened that day; or rather, it was the lack of something happening that made today extraordinary.

Naru had her right fist balled up, trembling, waiting to blast the ever living daylights out of that stupid, perverted, three-time ronin… but remarkably decided to loosen her grip instead.

"Can't you just act normal once in a while?!" she barked out, "You'll scare them away if you keep behaving like that!"

"_Naru, your voice alone will be enough to scare them away," _thought Kitsune nervously.

Whilst it was deemed unusual for Naru not to punch him into orbit, Keitaro was sure to expect a devastating katana technique, courtesy of the heir to the Shinmei-Ryu. Incredibly, Motoko did not even reach for her sword this time; she maintained enough discipline to avoid resorting to her normal violent performance.

"Urashima, your behaviour is absolutely intolerable…" she strained, "…but I will let your callous antics slide this time."

Kitsune perceived these alterations in Naru's and Motoko's personalities and grinned, placing a thumb and forefinger between her chin. _"Hmm… I guess they don't want to leave __a bad impression on the new girls."_

Noticing the new tenant was still recovering from the collision, Keitaro apologised to her one more time and offered his hand to help her back up. The girl accepted the hand and was brought back to her feet in no time. Meanwhile, the other, smaller new tenant felt her entirety being fully rejuvenated; gone was all of that exhaustion she suffered from climbing those unforgiving stairs. The way that guy just stumbled into her friend like that was just… fantastic! Was he always this accidental? His appearance was textbook excellent as well. The suit, along with those thick, rectangular glasses; it was like he was trying to make an impression, but his outward appearance failed to mask the clumsiness within. She nodded vigorously to herself, a catlike smile escaping her features; she had not even set foot into this dormitory, and already she was staring to love it.

"W-Wow! I never expected to be greeted like that!" remarked the new tenant to her friend, laughing pleasantly as she brushed off her clothes.

The smaller girl rubbed the back of her head and began to snigger. "Well, that's because all the guys are drawn to you Patty!"

"Ha ha! Oh yes! I am Patricia the Stallion Magnet!"

"Hnhn! Yes you are!"

Whilst everyone else kept their own thoughts to themselves, Naru had the most incredulous look on her face, complete with eyes twitching and mouth quivering. Any other newcomer that was violated by Keitaro's clumsiness would have surely stormed off before even entering the dormitory, and likely filed in a complaint afterwards. Those two just laughed the whole ordeal off, like nothing serious ever occurred. What an easy-going pair of girls, Naru whispered to herself.

* * *

Despite tripping on the first hurdle, Keitaro managed to salvage some respect by properly introducing himself and the five tenants to the newcomers, to which they exchanged cheerful greetings of their own. Patricia Martin was the name of the taller girl. She was eighteen years old, and one could tell from her voice and appearance that she was foreign. Born in America, Patricia moved to Japan when she was fifteen, and has picked up on the Japanese dialect extremely quickly, although her native language does have a tendency to slip out on occasion. Her short and stylish blonde hair, combined with her bright, cerulean eyes made for a very attractive presence. In addition, she had an athletic figure, and was more well-endowed than most girls her age. Kitsune, being the master of breast analysing, stole a glance in her chest department, and quickly concluded they were on par with Naru's level.

Patricia's wardrobe was bright and summery, a perfect match for her bubbly personality. She sported a pink t-shirt which slightly exposed her midriff, white shorts that reached an inch above her knees, a white unbuttoned denim jacket, and snazzy neon green trainers with a yellow pattern and velcro-straps. She also carried a red backpack, which no doubt contained an assortment of extra clothing, as well as a few personal belongings.

The girl standing next to Patricia was Konata Izumi. Keitaro and the five girls were shocked in amazement when Konata announced she was nineteen years old, for her height and age was an undeniable contradiction. Despite her age, Konata had the figure of an underdeveloped junior-high schoolgirl; height-wise she was marginally shorter than Kaolla and Shinobu. Her blue hair was untied and slovenly, and reached down to her thighs in length. Her emerald green eyes were slightly slanted, and underneath her right eye was a small but noticeable birthmark. Konata carried a rather mischievous atmosphere, and was unafraid of speaking her mind, just for the sake of provoking a reaction.

Konata's wardrobe was simple but sweet. She wore a lime green t-shirt with a face of a panda shown on the centre, jean shorts, knee-length white socks and blue trainers with laces. She carried with her a massive grey sports bag, which she put down after reaching her final step. Keitaro wondered just how long was she travelling with this juggernaut strapped around her shoulders. The sports bag was entirely filled with heaven-knows-what, and the zipper looked like it was about to surrender.

"Oh here, I will take your bags," Keitaro remembered, "and let me show you both to your room."

"Ah, thanks Manager-san!" Patricia replied with gratitude.

"Very good Sebastian," Konata added, already roleplaying the stern master of Hinata-Sou, "I may consider keeping you after all."

Patricia giggled, always finding her friend's jokes to be anything but dull. "Honestly Kona-chan! It's only been a few minutes, and you're already treating him like a personal servant!"

"_Sebastian?" _Keitaro thought, as he brought the two bags to the dormitory… or a least _tried _to. Patricia's bag was no trouble at all, but it took a herculean effort to lift Konata's bag. Somehow, he managed to carry them both at once, but when he did, Keitaro ended up looking like a see-saw, with a feather on one end, and a sack of bricks on the other.

When Keitaro, Patricia and Konata entered the dormitory, the rest of the tenants slowly followed behind them. The new girls had left a good impression on nearly everyone, and Kitsune especially loved Konata and her cheeky nature; she wagered the two of them would get along like a house on fire. Naru though… still had mixed feelings regarding the new tenants. They seemed a little… _too _happy for her liking, and if they were like this all day and every day, then she figured their combined excitement might be a bit too overbearing for her to handle.

* * *

As they walked through the corridor, Patricia and Konata marvelled at all the decorations displayed around the living room; they were nothing spectacular, but it certainly made them feel more welcome. Konata also spotted the vast amount of food shown on the dining room table; an impressive selection of edibles to say the least, with even a few western assortments thrown in as well.

After a short distance was made, 'Sebastian' showed the new girls to their bedroom, whilst the other tenants waited patiently in the dining room… with the exception of Kaolla, who had to be restrained a couple of times to protect the dinner. Since Patricia and Konata admitted they did not have a lot of money with them, they decided to share a room instead. They were surprised, however, when Keitaro opened the door.

The room was of a generous size; it was a whole lot more than what they anticipated. There was one futon on each side, and plenty of shelves and containers to store all of their belongings. Keitaro placed the bags down (much to the relief of the hand that carried Konata's bag) and showed them around.

"Um, you can change rooms if you don't like it," Keitaro suggested.

Patricia clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling like stars.

"This is wonderful!" she praised, "I never expected anything like this!"

"It is pretty impressive," Konata mused. She thought for a bit, and then turned to face Keitaro. "Is this okay though? We said on the phone that we didn't have a lot of cash…"

The blonde girl joined in with her musing. "…oh yeah… and this room does look kinda expensive to stay in."

Keitaro rubbed the back of his head, a slight blush emitting from his face. "Don't worry, I've arranged it that you both don't have to pay so much. Besides… um… most of the other rooms were kinda small, and I didn't really want to coop you up in a small area."

"Well, if that's okay with you, then sure! We'll definitely take this room!" Patricia happily decided.

"No doubt about it!" Konata agreed. Already she was visualising where she would put everything on her side of the room.

All of a sudden, Konata's stomach started to growl; from such a small girl, her tummy emitted quite the noise. This caused the blue haired girl to freeze awkwardly.

"Uh, I think I'm a little peckish."

A disapproving gurgling sound emitted from Patricia's tummy as well, seconds after Konata's noise. Patricia couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed.

"Me too. We sort of… did not eat anything since our journey."

A third similar rumbling was soon followed, the culprit none other than the manager himself.

"And I forgot to eat breakfast and lunch," Keitaro added sheepishly.

For a while, the room was filled with silence. Then, Konata covered her mouth and muffled some amusing sounds. Patricia followed by holding her breath, supressing the rising urge to giggle. Keitaro joined in by smiling in a most bemused manner.

It didn't take too long before the three of them chorused in laughter.

* * *

…

…

The navy sky signified that the afternoon was nearly over. The air was chilly outside, and the occasional gust of wind served to reinforce the unforgiving cold. This icy atmosphere, however, failed to penetrate the fortification that was Hinata-Sou. There were all sorts of ambience radiating from the dormitory, though the two that overruled them all was the cheerful melody released from a CD player, and the combined excitement emitting from all of the people who lived there.

* * *

"**KAMPAI!"**

A glorious clink of glasses embodied the arrival of Konata and Patricia. Polishing off their first drink, the tenants and Keitaro gathered themselves around the dining room table, and prepared to indulge into the feast that Shinobu prepared for everyone earlier. The dining table was circular, with Motoko placed on the north-most point. Going from a clockwise order starting with the swordswoman were: Naru, Kitsune, Keitaro, Konata, Patricia, Shinobu and Kaolla Su, who was sitting close to where Motoko was.

"Hey Naru, care for a drink? Oh wait, sorry! You can't because you're just a minor! Ha ha ha!"

Keitaro frowned at Kitsune's drunken antics; he was barely touching his second glass, and already the fox was on her umpteenth round. "Kitsune, stop teasing her, and Naru, you're allowed to have a little alcohol if you want any."

Naru lifted her nose up as she nursed a glass of cherryade, as though she was the designated driver from the party. "I'm fine with this thank you."

"Zends 'nother round this way Kitsune!" Konata gushed, banging the empty glass on the table. Her face was flushed red and her eyes were squeezed shut, almost like she was about to explode into more excitement.

The fox trotted over and poured Konata a fresh new drink. "Wow girl! For a small chick you really know how to knock 'em back!"

Konata laughed loudly, her cheeks blazing and her words slurring from alcohol consumption. "Ahaha, but of courssse! I may looks like a midget, but I have the constitution of a thousand bar… bar-bra barbarians!"

"Can I have some?" beamed Kaolla, raising her hand up high.

"No," sternly replied Motoko, Naru and Keitaro, realising that offering alcohol to Kaolla would be like offering a flamethrower to a pyromaniac. Kaolla sat down in a pout, but her pout soon disappeared when she started eating again.

Meanwhile, Patricia had one glass of alcohol, but decided to play it safe and switched to melon soda. She was really enjoying the variety of savoury edibles. "Mmm! This spread is delicious Shinobu-chan, especially the salmon-sushi, they're really tasty!"

Shinobu smiled shyly, her face reddening from the complement. "Thank you P-Patricia-san. Oh, I almost forgot, I made chocolate-chip biscuits if anyone is interested."

"Yahoo!" cheered Konata and Kaolla, the two of them simultaneously raising their hands in the air. Unfortunately for Konata, she unknowingly leaned on her seat a little too much; the outcome was her toppling backwards into an unceremonious heap. Everyone was so surprised and didn't know whether to laugh or show concern; it looked hilarious, but it also looked like a pretty bad spill.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" the girl announced, scrambling to the table and repositioning herself.

"Izumi-san, I think you've had enough to drink," Keitaro remarked; it was good to see her enjoy herself, but everyone had a limit.

Konata rubbed her cheek as she replied. "Hmm… youse (hic) may be righsh."

The girl then stretched her arms out, making direct eye contact with Keitaro.

"Carries me Seshbasthum! Your mashter needs eshcorting to her bedroom!"

Keitaro uncomfortably stared in a direction other than the petit blunette. "Erm… I think I'll pass on that one."

The majority of the tenants laughed from his awkward response. When the laughter settled down, an ignorant bliss followed soon afterwards; it was apparent that they were enjoying the mouth-watering foods and the many flavours of drink. Scoffing down on her last biscuit, a thought popped into Kaolla's head. She put a finger to her lips and brought the thought to fruition, making her the centre of attention.

"I was thinking, you know we were doing these decorations and parties and things?"

Kitsune lowered her drink. Though hammered, she did take note of the girl's unexpected demeanour. "What about it hon?"

Kaolla's finger remained on her lips, which were now pursed as she sunk a little deeper in her views.

"How come we never did anything like that for oniichan?"

Those innocent words rendered the dining table to an uncomfortable quietness; the only noise left emitting from the room was the happy, bouncy soundtrack from the CD player. Patricia was more confused than she was concerned. She couldn't really voice her opinion because she didn't really know anything about the past regarding the Hinata-Sou tenants. All she concluded was that the manager had likely arrived here after the rest of the girls did; otherwise the tanned girl wouldn't have said anything like that. Konata scrunched her face into a frown; she knew something serious had just occurred, but was more focused on why the room was spinning.

"_Did I say something weird…?"_ thought Kaolla, troubled by the sudden change of temperament.

Keitaro looked at his plate of food, and could feel the memories of his past arising to haunt him. He tried desperately to find a way to change the subject, but found it more difficult to do so when time passed on. He had hoped Kitsune, who can wriggle her way out of anything with her tongue, would have found a way to swiftly counter and change the subject, but she was just as quiet as the rest of them. Keitaro darkly entertained the thought of glancing up to see everyone's reactions, but before he could, he felt a vibration in his trouser pocket.

"_My cellphone!" _he realised, thanking the sweet merciful heavens above. Keitaro fished out the cellphone and rushed outside. "Excuse me everyone, I won't be long."

* * *

Keitaro exited through the main door of Hinata-Sou, the blast of frosty air erasing his cosy warmth. He placed the cellphone to his ear and answered the call. "Hello? Aunt Haruka, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me kiddo."

Hearing the sound of his aunt, surprise and curiosity entered Keitaro's mentality. "Is everything okay?"

"Mm, there's nothing to worry about; it's just regarding Hidaka."

"Oh? Can't she make it tonight?"

"Or tomorrow; she has postponed her arrival until Wednesday."

Keitaro was taken slightly aback, but nonetheless pressed on with the conversation. "Wednesday? Any reason why?"

"She didn't specify," replied Haruka.

Keitaro lowered his shoulders and sighed. He was hoping everyone would make it on the same day; that way, he could finally relax instead of building up his nervousness for the approaching days to come.

"So how are Patricia and Konata settling in?" Haruka asked.

"You knew they were here already?"

"Of course I did; they visited the tea shop beforehand."

Keitaro scratched his face and felt a little stupid. "Oh, right. I guess that makes sense, seeing as they are going to start working there tomorrow."

"Right, about that… tell them they can have tomorrow off."

"You sure?" Keitaro asked, amazed by his aunt's burst of kindness.

"Positive," Haruka affirmed, "they need one day at least to sort themselves out."

"Okay, I'll let them know."

Remembering something else important, Haruka changed the topic. "Has Katsura arrived?"

Keitaro frowned and whispered that name over and over. He gasped in realisation, drawing in a mouthful of cold air. "Katsura-san! Oh crap, I completely forgot about her! What's the time now?"

"Hmm… twenty-past six," Haruka answered, after looking at her clock.

Keitaro assembled his thoughts together. "Right, Katsura-san did ring me earlier, stating she would arrive at six o'clock. I hope she's okay."

"Don't fret about it; I'm sure she'll get there soon."

"Yeah, I guess I'm just worrying too much. Anyway, thanks for the update Aunt Haruka."

"No problem, take care of yourself."

"You too."

Hearing the sound of Haruka hanging up the phone, Keitaro switched the 'cancel' button on his cellphone and placed it back inside his pocket. Concerned whether the Katsura girl might show up sooner or later, or even at all, Keitaro debated going back inside or waiting a while longer.

He joined his eyebrows together; he could have sworn he had heard something. He stood still and held his breath, trying to tune out the weather as well as the Hinata-Sou ambience. His hearing was not misguided. As he jogged past the hotsprings, the sound grew steadily louder; they were like harmonious gasps, and they were coming from the stony steps down below.

Keitaro's heartbeat doubled in tempo.

"_Could… could it be…?"_

He made his way to the highest step and glanced down. Ten or so steps away, a girl in her later teens was making a steady ascension towards the top. She appeared quite delicate, and the suitcase she was carrying made for a rather struggling homestretch. Determined to reach the peak of the mountain, the girl was more focused on her luggage than anything else – that is, until Keitaro called out her name.

Keitaro felt a jolt of relief when the girl immediately looked up, surprised at hearing her own name.

"Urashima…san? Is that you?"

Keitaro nodded and aided the girl by carrying her suitcase. Her wardrobe, an expensive cyan overcoat was a reminder just how cold it was outside, and it was only then, that the manager remembered, he only had a suit to repel the elements. He placed the suitcase down for the moment so they could properly exchange greetings. When they bowed, it was only up close, Keitaro realised, that the girl was well and truly the personification of beauty and splendour.

Kotonoha Katsura was her full name; she was nineteen years old, and stood a few inches shorter than Keitaro. Her free flowing silky hair was coloured a lush indigo, which reached all the way down to her waist. Her wide, mauve eyes were entirely filled with purity and innocence. Her porcelain skin was complimented with a pinkish hue forming on her face. Judging from her worried, withdrawn temperament, Keitaro got the impression that Kotonoha was not a very talkative person. Certainly, Kotonoha's personality was a polar opposite compared to the previous two newcomers.

"Sorry I couldn't make it on time," Kotonoha apologised, "the taxi driver did not arrive until later."

Recalling what was presented on her curriculum vitae, Keitaro remembered she had the furthest distance to travel. Kotonoha had to partake in three separate train journeys and one taxi ride, so the whole ordeal must have been physically draining.

Keitaro looked at the darkening sky and scratched his cheek gawkily; he felt like he was walking alongside a supermodel. "Ah, well don't worry about it! I'm just relieved you're here now!"

The girl returned his sincerity with a smile warm enough to vanquish the cold outdoors. As she followed Keitaro to Hinata-Sou, Kotonoha caught sight of the hotsprings and the plant life that inhabited around it. Her own rippling reflection invited her to the soothing waters.

"Katsura-san?"

Aloof in her thoughts, Kotonoha apologised again and hurried to meet up with her manager, who was already waiting by the entrance. Kotonoha wondered why there was music and excitement inside, and Keitaro tried his best to explain.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you; we've already had two new tenants arrive earlier, and we're sort of having a little party to celebrate their arrival – and your arrival too, naturally! Ha ha!"

"Oh I see," the girl replied meekly, worried what to expect when she went inside. She put a finger to her lips and hoped she was able to get along with everybody.

* * *

"Everyone, I would like you to meet-"

Patricia, Kitsune and Kaolla all bolted out of their seats and welcomed the new girl immediately. Patricia beat everyone and clasped Kotonoha's hands together, Kitsune patted Kotonoha's shoulder and offered her a glass of sake, and Kaolla was jumping around the group in circles, throwing confetti and making anyone who looked at her feel dizzy. Motoko, Naru and Shinobu also went over to greet her, though they did so in a more appropriate manner. Kotonoha felt overcome from the ring of girls introducing themselves; along with the decorations and the music, she had never experienced anything like this in her whole life.

"… Kotonoha Katsura," Keitaro finished, though his words were drowned out from the commotion the girls were making.

When Kotonoha finished with her introduction, Keitaro helped her remove her coat, and showed the girl to her room before returning. Upon examination, the girl's smile told a thousand words; it was just the right size and looked very cosy to live in.

"Hang on, where's Izumi-san?" Keitaro asked, recalling a certain missing girl.

"Kona-chan?" replied Patricia. The blonde girl closed her eyes and threw her hands in the air, "She passed out right on top of her food, so I had to carry her back to her room! It was so embarrassing!"

Kaolla snorted with laughter, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Heehee! Her face looked like tuna sashimi!"

Keitaro sighed, knowing he should have monitored Konata's drinking more seriously; he briefly told Kotonoha that she and Patricia were close friends.

"Oh yeah," Keitaro reminded himself, facing Patricia, "Aunt Haruka was on the phone; she said you and Izumi-san can have tomorrow off."

"How sweet of her!" Patricia replied, "As long as she's okay by herself."

"Wait, I don't understand. What's going on?" Naru interrupted.

"Oh? Didn't Manager-san tell you?" Patricia began to answer, "Me and Kona-chan are working as maids for the tea shop!"

The original tenants stood in a line, their faces blank as blank could be.

"Patricia rubbed her head and started to laugh. "Oh… haha, I guess he didn't."

Keitaro shifted his eyes to the right, feeling very forgetful all of a sudden. "Ah… yeah, I overlooked that tiny bit of information."

Naru crossed her arms, slightly miffed from Keitaro's absentmindedness. "Yes, you always have a tendency to overlook the little details. Anyway Patricia-san, have you and Izumi-san had any experience in restaurants and cafés before?"

"Oh yes!" answered Patricia, "We worked in a little cosplay café, about five or so miles away from where I used to live!"

"So why the change here?" queried Kitsune, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Well… the reason is… um, well it was kinda unprecedented."

Kitsune cut to the case-in-point. "You got fired?"

Patricia looked away from everyone and tried to look as innocent as could be. "Well… no, not fired, but it's funny you should say that, because a fire was involved…"

Keitaro and the tenants hung their mouths open in fright.

Patricia clapped her hands together, replacing her features with an eyesmile. "Anyway! Let's get back to the table shall we?"

As they tried to extinguish Patricia's abridged story, the celebration continued where it left off, and the atmosphere was slightly rehabilitated when Konata was replaced with the timid yet graceful Kotonoha. Also, whilst he still remembered, Keitaro informed the table that the fourth tenant would not arrive until later on in the week. This unfortunate turn of events saddened some of the girls, but it did not hamper the overall mood of the party.

It was a surprise not to hear a peep from Kitsune as this stage, mainly because she was focused on the knitted jumper the new girl was wearing. Along with smart blue jeans and expensive looking black shoes, Kotonoha's jumper was a rich, creamy sort of colour, with a purple zigzag running across the middle. The jumper was not the problem though. Beneath the jumper, Kitsune noticed just how well blessed Kotonoha truly was; even the thick material failed to conceal the voluptuous shape of her chest.

"_I'm not jealous!" _the fox thought, sipping on her remainder of drink, _"Nope! Not jealous__! Not jealous at all!"_

When offered another glass, Kotonoha politely declined, stating she was not much of a drinker. She was quite tired enough as it was, and after learning of one girl passing out, she sensibly opted not to make a scene herself. With a fresh plate and chopsticks handed to her, Kotonoha helped herself to a selection of edibles. She carefully popped some into her mouth, a felt a delightful awakening after sampling such tantalising flavours.

"This is really wonderful!" she admired, "Who prepared all of this?"

Keitaro was about to reply but Patricia cut him off.

"Why Shinobu-chan made it all!" the blonde tweeted, gently patting Shinobu on the head, "Me and Kona-chan were blown away by her cooking as well!"

Kotonoha nodded in appreciation. "I really like it! Thanks Maehara-san!"

When it came to cooking, Shinobu was always praised by Keitaro, but now Patricia, Konata and even Kotonoha were thanking her as well. It was too much for Shinobu to accept and she wished she had a tortoise shell to withdraw her head into.

"Please, everyone, it was no big deal."

Kotonoha noticed the little chef was blushing all over, which in turn, caused her to blush as well. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel embarrassed!"

Shinobu waved her hands around. "No, Kotonoha-san, it's okay really! To be honest, I tend to get embarrassed all the time!"

"Well even so, I still apologise."

"No… it's no problem at all. R-Really…"

Whilst Keitaro and the tenants were speculating on who was the shyest out of the two girls, Patricia covered a big beaming smile with her right hand.

"_Oh my Goddess! That exchange was so Moé!"_ she thought, goosebumps all over her.

Borrowing some of Konata's mischievousness, the bubbly girl gently rocked Shinobu's tiny frame left and right.

"Yes, yes, yes! Shinobu-chan is the greatest chef in history!" she teased with an eyesmile, "Her food can transform corrupted souls into holy priests of enlightenment! She will cure all humankind and animalkind with her wonderful salmon-sushi, and the whole of Japan will be a much more peaceful environment to live in!"

"Please stop Patricia-san!" Shinobu pleaded, her face redder than a tomato and her eyes resembling two rotating swirl-pools.

Laughter and merriment filled the dining room once again, and although Kotonoha was not one to show too much emotion, secretly, she was overjoyed; never had she expected to make friends in such a short space of time.

* * *

…

…

…

Amazingly, Keitaro was the last person who remained awake; everyone else had retired to their own bedrooms.

Much like Konata earlier on, Kitsune too had to be dragged to her quarters, which Keitaro and Motoko had the unthankful task of accomplishing. Afterwards, it was Kaolla and Shinobu who felt sleepy at approximately the same time, and of course, Kaolla could not sleep without the swordswoman by her side, so the three girls said their goodnights before leaving. Next, it was Kotonoha's turn to say goodnight, the fatigue of the long journey finally creeping up on her. Soon afterwards was Naru, who insisted on getting some sleep in order to prepare some studying for the morning. Last to leave was Patricia. Before leaving, she offered to help Keitaro clear up the dining room table, but the manager politely refused, stating he would sort it out by himself.

After he cleared up the table, Keitaro spent the remainder of the night sitting outside by the hotsprings. The stars in the sky were bright and plentiful, and one could easily lose track of time just by watching them. In his semi state of tranquillity, Keitaro tried to focus on his past, and accelerated all the way to the present day, trying to pick out the high points of his life in between. He thought long and hard about it, but today really did feel like the greatest day of them all; even his childhood was no match for this experience. Greeting new tenants, showing them to their rooms, having the party; it was the first time Keitaro Urashima actually felt… human. He was no longer a nobody, but a beacon of light on this so called universe. Truly, it made him feel alive.

He picked himself up and stretched his arms far and wide. At long last, sleep was catching up to him, and a whole new work-filled day was waiting.

* * *

…

…

…

Konata woke up from her futon; the time was midnight and she was wide awake. As she sat up, a small slice of tuna came unglued from her face.

"_How the hell did I end up here?!"_ she panicked.

* * *

**Author: **Konata and Patricia are characters from the anime/manga 'Lucky Star', whereas Kotonoha is from the anime/manga 'School Days'. Whilst it helps to have watched or read these titles, I hope the descriptions provided in this chapter are detailed enough to get an idea of their characteristics and personalities. The fourth girl will make her appearance later on in the story (chapter three or four – I'm not too sure yet).

Thanks for reading.

~Rdz


	3. chapter two

Konata gazed wearily at the bathroom mirror, her glass double greeting her with a 'why do I have to be awake now' appearance. White foam bubbled across her mouth, as she gave her teeth a vigorous workout with the toothbrush. Struggling not to succumb to drowsiness, she recollected certain parts of what occurred last night, but most of yesterday's memories were clouded due to an overconsumption of certain… intoxicating fluids.

When she woke up around midnight, Konata combated this sudden wide-awake syndrome by reading Manga and listening to music from her iPlayer and headphones. She read eight and a half volumes and listened to numerous tracks before drifting to sleep again. When she woke up for the second time, it was considerably later; 10:35am to be precise.

Konata examined the time on her cellphone, soaking in the four digits on the small screen. A solo reminder popped into her head: work. She dropped the toothbrush in panic and sputtered out the toothpaste all at once. Normally a relaxed, take-it-easy type of girl, Konata knew she was in serious trouble this time; she was nearly three hours late, and Haruka was sure to have her guts for garters the second she laid her eyes on her. She bolted down the stairs, a dozen or so excuses formulating inside her mind.

* * *

In the kitchen, Patricia and Shinobu were arranging an assortment of edibles for tea. Patricia swayed her head left and right, singing a happy melody whilst placing the little cakes on the tray, one by one. Shinobu was preparing a mixed salad, and pondered on what kind of dressing was required.

The sound equivalent of a tumbling boulder going down a slope was then overheard, bringing the joyous atmosphere between the two tenants to an abrupt standstill. How Konata's small stature could make the equal of such a noise was truly amazing to say the least. Konata skidded and screeched to a halt, some inches away from her friend's face, panting like a dog after a marathon run.

"Patty!" she gasped, "Patty, Patty… why are you still here?!"

Patricia brought a finger to her lips. "Um, because I enjoy cooking?"

"That's not what I meant! Shouldn't we be at work now?"

"Work?" Patricia repeated, before realising why Konata whipped up a frenzy. She narrowed her eyes and a sassy grin stretched across her lips. "Oh, whoopsie! Did I forget to tell you that Haruka-san has given us today off? Silly me!"

Konata's body became all rigid.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because you were unconscious by the time the news was announced!"

"Erm… oh."

The petit girl slumped against the refrigerator, her body regenerating from all of her distress. With the thought of Haruka scolding her fading away, Konata helped herself to a small glass of orange juice. A few swigs of the drink restored her to her wellbeing.

"Right!" she thought loudly to herself, "Since this is my day off, I'm going to spend it by checking out the place! Tally ho~!"

"Be sure to have a dip in the hotsprings!" Patricia recommended, as Konata headed out of the main door, "I've already been in and it's so lovely and relaxing!"

"Okay!" Konata shouted back.

* * *

The late morning sun embraced her entirety; she had to shield her vision, for her eyes were not yet acquainted to the bright, amber rays. As her sandals pressed onto the ground, a voice from above called out to her.

Konata spun round and arched her head. Keitaro was on top of the roof of Hinata-Sou, happily waving as though elated from the wonderful weather.

"Sebastian!" Konata returned, visually impressed that the manager was fearlessly standing atop such a height. She noted his casual change of wardrobe; a white short-sleeve shirt and jeans. "Um, what are you doing up there?"

"Oh, there was just a loose tile that needed refitting," Keitaro answered, motioning the damage with his toolbox.

"Ah, okay, be careful!"

"Don't worry I-"

Jinxed from Konata's choice of wording, Keitaro tripped over his own two feet and stumbled towards the edge of the roof. Konata froze in panic, wondering if Keitaro would crash head first on the ground, or worse, crash head first on top of her. Fortunately, after a few desperate hops and other crazed leg manoeuvres, Keitaro achieved in regaining his footing, wiping sweat from his brow once his equilibrium was attained.

"Phew! Ha ha! I'm okay, really!" Keitaro announced, laughing awkwardly from his nearly disastrous episode. "Sorry I startled you!"

Konata stroked her hair and chuckled nervously. "Keep it together Sebastian! I don't want my butler ending up in hospital!"

Finishing their small talk, Konata pressed on with her outdoor exploration, humming a simple song. Most of the sights outside Hinata-Sou were already familiar to her, having already seen them on her first day – but at the same time, everything was so much more vibrant in the morning, especially with some of the other tenants present as well.

Along the way to the hotsprings, Konata spied Motoko, her eyes fascinated at her change in appearance. Motoko had returned to wearing her red and white hakama, and was performing her regular sword exercises. Konata initially thought it was cosplay practice, but quickly realised that Motoko's sword was very real and her serious demeanour was no mere performance. Konata recalled that this girl pretty much kept to herself during the party, and would only speak if addressed to. She nearly forgot how tall this girl was as well; this added with her sombreness made the blunette feel rather unsettled.

Unexpectedly, Motoko stopped her sword in mid-flight, her fierce eyes meeting Konata. Konata tried to hide her fear by quickly greeting this tower of a woman.

"G-Good morning Motoko-san!" she quivered, hoping she had selected the correct formality.

The swordswoman nodded, tolerating her presence and nothing more.

"Morning," she replied neutrally, and resumed her practicing.

Konata thought it best to continue on her way. She made it to the hotsprings, and the warm sunlight reflecting on the waters served as an invitation to hop right in. Kitsune was the only girl inhabiting the springs; she was casually floating on her back, her surfaced breasts exposed in their sun kissed glory. When spotted, she simply greeted Konata by posing a 'v' sign with her fingers.

"Hey girl, how y'doing?" Kitsune asked.

"Hi Kitsune, um… still a bit wasted from last night," Konata admitted.

"Well then strip off girl!" the silver haired girl ushered, "The hot springs are the ultimate hangover cure!"

Konata felt a little uncomfortable from the fox's sudden burst of speech. Sure, Kitsune seemed like a pretty cool person, but her choice of words gave the little girl a slight chill down her spine. She impulsively stole a distant look towards the rooftop. The manager was still working up there, and though the dormitory and the hotsprings were quite a space away, Konata still wondered if Keitaro would attempt a peek or two. Maybe the guy had binoculars, or even a telescope hidden away, and would lustfully spy on their purest forms when their guard was down. Or maybe she was just looking too much into the situation.

"Ah, don't worry about Keitaro!" Kitsune laughed off, her hands signalling that it was no big deal, "Once Keitaro gets into his work routine, anything less than a nuclear missile won't be able to faze him!"

Konata turned around and focused on Kitsune again, or rather, a laser guidance projected from Konata's eyes to Kitsune's most treasured assets. _"I wonder if Kitsune is aware she's carrying a twin set of nuclear missiles herself."_

In the end, Konata just went for it, figuring she was making a giant storm inside a little teacup. She got changed behind some trees and tiptoed into the water, clad in a baby blue towel. Once in, she tossed the towel to one side. It felt weird at first, being naked next to somebody she didn't know too well… but as she watched a couple of white clouds, steadily navigating to the east, Konata began to unwind. The water temperature was spot on, and the rare breeze gave her a welcoming thrill of enjoyment.

Konata was about to delve into more bliss when the dashing of bare feet shot through the grassy ground and dived bombed into the water, a tremendous splosh upon impact. Seconds later a tanned head with blonde hair popped up, grinning an overexcited grin.

"Hello tuna-face!" Kaolla greeted, showing all of her gleaming white teeth.

"_Tuna-face?" _thought Konata, and then remembered the little incident involving her passing out on her food. "Ah, right. Well, with your appetite, I'm surprised you didn't lick my face clean!"

Kaolla's face turned into that of a puppy pouting. "I wanted to, but Shinobu-chan said I was being rude."

Konata flinched from her reply, unsure whether she was joking or not. She then watched the foreign girl splash about as she playfully wrestled Kitsune. A quizzical smile appeared on her face. During her school days, she was always the mischief maker amongst her group of friends, and now she was joined together by two other girls, who both held an identity similar to hers; they were capable of teasing, as well as capable of being teased. Konata covered her concerned mouth with her right hand, unsure whether to feel fascinated or uncomfortable from this revelation.

* * *

...

Though tempted to stay in the hotsprings for the entire day, the need to explore the rest of Hinata-Sou drove Konata to leave the warm waters, drying and clothing herself soon afterwards. Bidding Kitsune and Kaolla a goodbye, Konata scampered back into the dormitory and entered the living room. There, she saw Keitaro cleaning up the floor with a dustpan and brush.

"We meet again Sebastian!" she told him, as though a superhero was talking to her arch nemesis.

"Uh… yeah," Keitaro replied uneasily, "did you enjoy the hotsprings?"

Konata thought it amusing to tease the manager, and so she decided to take her bantering to the next level.

"What?! You mean you were peeking at me when I was at my most vulnerable?!" she asked in mock shock.

Naturally, Keitaro took the bait; hook, line and sinker. He protested vehemently. "No, it was nothing like that at all! It was only because I noticed your hair was wet!"

Konata folded her arms and furrowed her brows, resembling some kind of ancient sage. "I see… you have seen me naked; ergo, you must take responsibility and marry me."

"H-Hey don't joke around like that!"

She placed a hand over her forehead and pretended to lose consciousness, like a maiden in a drama studio. "Oh 'tis but a cruel, dark world; I was fated to fall head over heels over a tall, rich and handsome man, but alas! The sharp dagger of judgment shows no mercy! Thus, this man and I must be forced into a forsaken love, and all of life and wonder shall be forfeit! A world of hard labour awaits thy!"

Keitaro's lips, eyes and nose were all twitching in a deep seated state of worry.

"…or words to that effect," Konata finished, reverting to her catlike normality.

The manager breathed a sigh of relief, ashamed that he actually believed Konata's silly falsehood of a tale. He then remembered something, and called out the girl just as she was going to leave the vicinity.

"Oh by the way Izumi-san, have you introduced yourself to Katsura-san yet?"

Konata turned to face him again, her confused expression an obvious translation to the word 'no'.

"Kotonoha Katsura ?" Keitaro tried again, "she arrived last night, but you were down for the count before she could meet you."

She widened her eyes, vaguely recalling that she and Patricia were not the only new tenants to arrive yesterday. "She's here? Where is she?"

Keitaro told her the girl was upstairs, second room from the far left.

"Thanks! I'll pay her a visit!" Konata nodded and made her way to the top floor.

* * *

...

Konata paused for a duration when she reached the door leading to Kotonoha's room. Not knowing what type of person was awaiting her, she cautiously tapped on the door before slowly sliding it open. She opened it wide enough to poke her head through. One glance was all it took for Konata to summarise an opinion. With her long graceful hair, delicate cream dress and exclusive ivory skin, Kotonoha appeared more like a princess than she did an ordinary girl, a princess that one would see in fairy tales or as a main character interest in a visual novel.

"Hi there!" Konata introduced, somewhat sheepishly.

Kotonoha glanced from the book she indulged herself in; the lavender haired girl was seated on an ornate wooden chair.

"G-Good afternoon," Kotonoha addressed, in spite the sudden greeting of a new person.

"I'm the girl who got severely drunk last night, and ended up with bits of tuna on my face!" Konata added, in a way that only she could pull off. Konata was a tad nervous, and felt that her only form of defence was to keep talking.

"Oh, you're Izumi-san," Kotonoha realised, taken quite aback by Konata's forward way of presenting herself, "pleased to meet you; Martin-san has told me everything about you."

Konata scratched her head. "Really? What sort of things?"

An anxious eyesmile appeared on Kotonoha's face. "Um… well, she was really just talking about all of the previous times you ended up becoming… light-headed."

The blunette frowned uncomfortably, though it was mentally directed towards Patricia. Perhaps it was better to change the topic, the short girl decided. She scanned around the room and was surprised she hadn't noticed the surroundings sooner. Every shelf was chock-filled with books; thick, expensive, uninteresting books. Kotonoha was living inside a miniature library.

"_Not a single Manga in sight," _Konata assessed, disappointed. "Ahem, so I take it you like reading Kotonoha-san…?"

…

* * *

…

Konata decided to keep the conversation short and sweet. She immediately knew Kotonoha was a withdrawn person, and if the blue haired girl prolonged the talking further, then things would probably wind up being more awkward. She seemed very well mannered though, and her presence reminded Konata of a certain friend of hers back at high school. Perhaps an ideal candidate for a friend, she mused.

Later on, Keitaro, Patricia and Shinobu left the house to do some shopping. With their departure, Konata grasped on the position she got herself into; she had the majority of Hinata-Sou in her possession, and she took this opportunity to have a gander around all of the rooms. She wasn't planning on a complete invasion on other people's privacy; just a little, harmless peek to get more of an idea of the people she was living with.

Konata had a glimpse inside Kitsune's room, and was greeted by alcoholic fumes, zipping into her nostrils. The room didn't consist of much; a few bottles, a laptop, and a wooden cupboard which seemed to be unusually large. Konata decided to close the door, worried she might collapse under the air of liquor.

Afterwards, she visited Motoko's room – or at least looked at her door. The numerous wrapped chains and padlocks were a subtle hint that Motoko didn't want anyone entering except herself.

Kaolla's room was next, and Konata had no idea what to expect when she went inside. When she did go inside however, Konata never anticipated anything like this. She had quite literally stepped into a large cuboid of jungle. Amongst the vegetation and wildlife, Kaolla had a hammock tied up against two palm trees, and multiple plants that were in the beginning states of sprouting bananas.

"I think I'll leave this place," a freaked out Konata remarked, fearing that an angry alligator might burst out of the undergrowth.

Konata hurried over to the nearest room she could find. She opened the door and was introduced to a bundle of colourful stuffed animals, looking like they had been freed from the glass cell of a UFO catcher. With the place portraying sweet and honest innocence, Konata gathered this had to be Shinobu's bedroom.

The girl then made a path towards the furthest end of the top floor. Konata pricked her ears against the next door she reached; she heard the faint sound of scribbling. A misstep on Konata's behalf caused the floor to creak, causing her to curse quietly.

"Keitaro? Is that you?" called out a voice behind the door. "I thought you were shopping?"

The door slowly slid open and Naru was surprised to see not the manager but one of the new girls instead. Konata mentally took a step back; it was only when she took a good, solid stare at her that she realised the girl was actually Naru Narusegawa. With her yellow jumper, red skirt and thick, circular eyeglasses, Naru had a complete attire makeover compared to yesterday, and could almost pose as a completely different persona. Perhaps, she had some kind of identity crisis, Konata speculated. Very intriguing indeed.

"Sorry, it's just me," Konata apologised, "I'm just having a check around to see what everyone is doing."

Naru pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose, masking the fact that she was caught off-guard. "Oh… I see."

The auburn haired girl thought the new tenant would take her leave, but instead, Konata obliged herself in having a snoop around the place, her heels rocking back and forth in a casual fashion. Naru found herself in a predicament; she wanted to resume studying, but at the same time, did not want to feel rude by ignoring her. Most girls wouldn't mind some company in the least – but it placed Naru inside a dilemma.

"So how are you settling in?" Naru asked, trying to maintain serenity.

"Pretty well, pretty well," murmured Konata. Her eyes then quickly captured the bright yellow doll on top of Naru's bed, snugly leaning on the side of the pillow. Konata's face brightened from this discovery. "Hey, is that a Pikachu doll?"

Naru spun on her swivel chair to see what Konata was talking about. "Huh? No, that's Liddo-kun; she was given to me when I was-"

"Pika-pika! Pika-pika!" Konata chirped in reply, who had already picked up Liddo-kun, and was making all sorts of silly noises through the doll.

"It's not a Pikachu!" Naru reacted.

The sudden rise in Naru's voice startled Konata enough to drop the soft toy.

"Sorry, sorry!" Konata said, rubbing her head guiltily, "Though you have to admit, it does look a bit like-"

"No it doesn't," Naru interjected, her voice sharp as knives, "not in the slightest."

Once her point was made, Naru resumed her studying, her abrupt silence hopefully giving Konata enough of a hint to leave her alone. Konata slowly picked up the doll and returned it by the pillow.

"So what are you studying?" she asked.

"Mathematics," Naru replied.

The bespectacled studier leaned a tiny bit to the left. Much to her visible irritation, Konata had already shoved her plushy face right into one of Naru's exercise books, specifically, the one she was currently writing into.

"Woah! Looks complicated!"

"It's for the Todai Entrance Exams," Naru explained, not liking that her hair and Konata's hair were close to blending.

Konata frowned slightly. "But weren't the university exam results announced a few weeks ago?"

Naru lowered her shoulders and sighed through her nose. "Yes, well… I failed to get in the first time."

"Ah, so you're a ronin."

"Yes."

A thought occurred to Konata when she took a step back, allowing Naru more of her personal space. During the time she woke up, her relaxing at the hotsprings, and all of her little explorations, Konata hadn't seen Naru at all until she invited herself into her room; had Naru been studying all of this time? Does she do this sort of thing every day?

"Look… Konata-san…," Naru began to say, her vision still glued to the book.

"Just Konata will do," Konata said.

"…Konata. I don't mean to sound impolite, but I really need to work hard for this…"

"Say no more!" the blunette interrupted, "I understand that you're busy! Sorry for intruding!"

Before Naru could say anything else, Konata had already left her alone, bowed, and closed the door, all in a blink of an eye. Naru sighed and resumed her studying, though her opinions of the blue haired girl had not yet deserted her.

"_I had a feeling this was going to happen; in fact I __knew__ it was going to happen! How on earth am I supposed to concentrate with so many people around, not forgetting there's still one more person to arrive in a couple of days' time! And that Konata… seriously, who does she think she is, just barging into my room like that?! Can't she learn to respect other people's privacy?"_

Her thoughts were abruptly halted when the door opened. Konata burst into her room again, and without caring about the consequences, pulled Naru straight out of her chair. This unquestionably led Naru to infuriation and sheer bewilderment.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" she complained as gravity denied her.

"Come on Naru-san! You need a break! Come with me!"

* * *

Naru's left eye twitched violently, as though that eye alone was capable of dissecting Mount Everest. She only tolerated Konata's company because she was relatively new here, but there was only so much she could absorb. Naru thought, for a seemingly innocent pint-sized girl, she sure had plenty of nerve forcing her around like this.

"Okay I'm seriously starting to get angry now," Naru warned, "why am I even here?"

"To take a break from studying!" Konata replied, pulling no punches, "Everyone needs to take a breather from work now and then!"

"That doesn't really answer my question," grumbled Naru.

The tsundere half-heartedly glanced around Patricia's and Konata's room. The left half was rather neat and tidy; the floor was nearly spotless and the shelving was filled with music CDs, DVDs and a small collection of Manga. The right half was an uncoordinated mess; a mountain of Manga was shoved in a corner, most of which have spilled over, and there was a whole range of toys and other stuff strewn about the place as well.

"I take it this part of the room belongs to you?" she guessed, pointing to the said area.

Konata chuckled nervously. "Heh, it does need a bit of polishing up."

"_That's an understatement," _Naru thought, as she continued inspecting more of Konata's side of the room. On the furthest end of Konata's shelf, Naru noticed a soft toy encased in snazzy packaging; it looked a bit like an orangey yellow mouse, and was about as big as Naru's hand.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the toy.

"Don't touch that!"

The blunette zipped in front of the auburn haired girl and stretched out her arms, morphing into a brick wall covered in stop signs.

"What the hell?!" Naru gasped, fearful of her sudden transformation, "I just pointed at it!"

"Don't point at it! Don't even look at it for more than a second!"

Naru watched, freaked out at the way Konata had her head lolled forward, her scraggly hair concealing her features. She then gradually lifted her face, the top portion of which had been sinisterly shadowed. Her eyes glowed infrared.

"That right there is the rarest of parallel secret rare items," she explained in a ghostly voice, "the Orange-Golden Uber-Pikachu; only two hundred exist in the world and only seventy three exist in this country. It is the trophy amongst all trophies, the platinum plaque of life and death, the jewel encrusted-"

"Fascinating," remarked a very sarcastic Naru, who was midway leaving the room.

Reverting to her original self, Konata grabbed her hand and took her back inside.

"My bad, my bad!" she apologised, "I get overprotective of my rare stuff."

Before Naru could respond, Konata was already knee-deep in her belongings. She unzipped her massive bag and rummaged through more items, creating an even grander mess in the process.

"Aha! Found you!" she announced in joy, raising the object like she was Link finding a fragment of a Triforce.

Naru raised her brows curiously. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like anything special. The object was small, black and rectangular; some sort of gadget maybe?

Konata opened the device up. Much to Naru's surprise, this 'gadget' turned out to be a hand-held gaming console. The console consisted of two identical shaped screens; one at the top and one at the bottom. Around the sides were a controller and a number of simple buttons.

"You've never seen a DS before?" queried Konata, "this hand-held wonder is the greatest gaming revelation in history today! It comes with a huge library of games, and you can even play with people online!"

Naru was even more amazed when Konata simply offered the gaming device to her, like she was giving her a toffee from a bag.

"Woah, hang on! You're just _giving_ this to me? Don't you want it?" Naru asked incredulously, _"We hardly even know each other."_

"Don't worry about it! Just take it!" Konata pressed, as it were no big deal, "Besides, I still have four left in my bag!"

Naru's jaw dropped. "You have four more?! Seriously?!"

"Mm," Konata nodded, "it's such a hassle to swap games around all the time so I bought some more consoles to solve the problem."

"_I don't even know how to respond to that," _thought Naru.

She resumed looking at Konata; she was still going through her bag, and had seemingly forgotten there was more than one person in the room.

"I can't accept this," Naru said, trying to get her attention, "seriously; this thing will just distract me."

Konata peeked up from her bag, "That's the whole idea! Everyone needs a distraction or two from the real world!"

Naru listened to her speech with a sense of disinterest. In Naru's mind, Konata was the sort of girl who had way too many sources of distraction. She likely had no sense of any true ambition, and probably didn't care about the real world at all. In the end, Naru opted to keep the console, just for the sake of not getting into an argument with her.

"Listen I better be going now."

Konata nodded, her voice taking on a more refined tone. "Okay, good luck with your studying!"

Naru made her way back to her room, tired and slightly frustrated from wasting so much time.

…

…

* * *

…

"Bing ba-ba bong!" Patricia sang, as Keitaro opened the main door. "We're home!"

Shinobu gave Patricia an astonished appearance, but the American simply stated that there was no doorbell, so she elected to mimic one as a substitute. Keitaro and Shinobu secretly eyesmiled each other, a small sweat drop appearing on their foreheads; it was apparent to them that Patricia's outlandish and sunshiny behaviour was going to take some getting acquainted to.

The weather was still warm, so it was only expected that most of the tenants were outside. Kitsune and Kaolla were still enjoying the hotsprings, Motoko was meditating under a patch of trees and even Kotonoha chose to appreciate the open air, no longer wanting to be cooped up inside her room. Kotonoha was kneeling on a laid out towel, and was reading a book whilst sampling on some sandwiches she made herself.

"Welcome back!" Konata greeted as she darted towards the entrance. She helped carry some bags herself, but only because she was interested in what meat, condiments and other foodstuffs lurked inside; Konata was such a child in that regard.

"I thought you would be enjoying yourself outside Izumi-san," said Keitaro.

"Well I spent most of the morning sorting out my stuff," Konata told him, "I didn't feel like it at first, but once I got started I just had to see it through to the end."

Keitaro stored the chilled goods in the fridge before replying. "You did bring a lot of things with you."

"Yeah, I pretty much cleared out my bedroom in the old house. It was pretty sad seeing my room all empty and lifeless; my father was close to tears."

"I guess your father cares a lot about you."

"Mm, he almost cares about me _too _much."

Patricia muffled a giggle. "He is rather clingy!"

Putting away some ingredients in the cupboard, Shinobu showed a solemn air as she recollected the gritty relationship she had with her parents. She lightly shook her head, dispelling those painful memories away. Keitaro and the tenants; they were her real family now. Thinking about the new tenants, Shinobu remembered that she hadn't really spent a lot of time with Kotonoha. She shot a glance outside; the long-haired girl seemed pretty content with her own company, but it just didn't seem acceptable being by herself, especially now since there are so many people around.

"Um… I'm going to talk to Kotonoha-sempai," she decided to say, and jogged outside once she finished her duties.

"Good idea Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro called out, "She does seem kind of lonely."

A lengthy yawn then caught the attention of the new tenants and the manager. Being busy in the kitchen, they nearly failed to notice Naru, as she fixed herself up with a tall glass of sparkling lemonade.

"Hi Naru-san!" Patricia greeted. She then tilted her head in confusion, noting the thick eyeglasses and wardrobe change. _"That is Naru-san, right?"_

"Hey there," Naru returned, indorsing Patricia's thoughts.

Keitaro noted the uncaring and sleepy attitude releasing from her, and instantly knew the cause of such symptoms.

"Naru you need to take a break," he told her.

"I am," she stated simply, motioning to the glass.

"I mean a proper break."

Naru raised her voice a little. "Hey, whether I choose to study or not is entirely my business, okay? Besides… what about you? It's been over a week since you last seen a textbook."

The manager lowered his shoulders; he did not want to quarrel, especially in front of Konata and Patricia. Also, Naru was correct; it _had _been a while.

"You're right Naru. Let's study together, but take it easy, okay?"

Naru managed a small, weary smile.

"Okay."

…

* * *

…

Leaving Konata and Patricia to enjoy the rest of the afternoon outdoors, Keitaro and Naru were upstairs, seated on opposite ends of the flat table. A grey, nostalgic silence hovered over the manager. It seemed like forever the last time he was in Naru's room, almost like the clock had turned back… almost like the new tenants hadn't even arrived yet… almost like… he had never taken the entrance exams…

…but he had, and becoming a three year ronin were the rotten fruits of his labour.

"Are you okay?" Naru asked, noting the unsettled behaviour of her study partner.

"Mm," Keitaro nodded, swallowing some saliva of doubt, "what about you?"

"I'm alright," the girl replied softly.

Most of the afternoon drifted away like the outside breeze, with neither of them none the wiser. A short while later and Keitaro felt the effects of fatigue kicking in. He stretched his arms far and wide, and as he did this, he spotted something unfamiliar on the corner of Naru's shelf.

"What's that?"

Naru glanced from her written work. "What's what?"

She looked at Keitaro's finger pointed at the small black device.

"Oh that," she remarked uncaringly, closing her eyes, "Konata gave it to me; I think she called it a 'DS'."

Keitaro rose to his feet, the fatigue washing away completely, now replaced with curiosity and exhilaration. He scooted over to the shelf and obtained the hand-held console. "R-Really? She just gave this to you? Those things are pretty expensive! _Hmm… it looks like there's a game in there…"_

Naru had her eyes remained shut, as she tried not to visualise the blunette and her unsavoury encounter with her. "Yeah, she visited here a short while ago."

She pinched her nose, and could no longer hold back her inner frustration.

"God she is so annoying!" she explained to him, her increase in tone noticeable to say the least, "Honestly, she just waltzes into my room without any care or respect for my privacy! Then, she makes fun out of my Liddo-kun doll and then she drags me into her room when I'm still trying to study! She's such a pest!"

"Hmmm," Keitaro thought out loud, deep in concentration and glued to the dual screens, "Pokémon Purple. This is rumoured to have over nine hundred different monsters to capture, and you can even date and marry characters like Shirona…"

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" Naru snapped, swiping the offending piece of equipment from his hands.

Keitaro coughed quietly and composed himself. "So basically, what you're saying is you're not too fond of her."

The study expert folded her arms. "Understatement of the century."

"I think that's kind of harsh," he remarked, "she's only trying to make friends with you."

"That's fine, but can't she make friends with me in a less-than eccentric manner?"

"Well what about Su-chan?"

Naru raised her eyebrows. "What about her?"

"Well Su-chan's the personification of eccentric behaviour! Case in point; she tried to run me over with a tank on my first day!"

Naru looked at the ceiling, tapping her mechanical pencil on her lips. "That's true..."

Keitaro smiled, in hope that the auburn haired girl might reconsider her rather unforgiving opinions of Konata. Unfortunately, Keitaro's smile turned upside-down when he saw Naru shake her head.

"Sorry, but I just cannot see myself liking that girl," she stated, standing her ground, "I mean the way she carries herself; she just bothers me, and doesn't seem to have a care in the world. Furthermore, she's nineteen! You would think she would have a little more discipline at that age!"

"Naru, don't you think that's a little-"

A sudden creak abruptly caused the two of them to cease arguing; it was loud enough to be heard behind the door. Since Naru was the closer of the two, she decided to swiftly slide the door open, and the culprit was none other than the very girl they were arguing about.

It was never Konata's intention to eavesdrop on the studying pair. Initially, she needed to use the bathroom, and just so happened to pick up the unfriendly vibes between Naru and Keitaro. Concern getting the better of her, Konata tiptoed behind Naru's door and listened attentively to what they had to say. Little did Konata know she was the main focus of the conversation.

When the door opened, Konata froze on one foot, like she was playing a round of musical statues. All she was armed with was a nervous smile, and a mind trying to conjure up an excuse.

"Konata?" Naru asked in surprise.

Konata's eyes darted around and found her handkerchief lying on the floor; it must have fallen out of her pocket during her eavesdropping.

"Aha!" the girl announced, raising the piece of material around, "I was searching for this for ages!"

"Hang on! Wait!" Naru called out, but Konata had already scampered back outside.

…

…

* * *

…

…

When everyone sat around the table, the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet and awkward; there were eight tenants and one manager, and little conversation was made.

"Mmm, this lamb is simply superb! What do you think Konata?" Patricia asked her friend, trying to get some kind of chatter going.

Konata took a small bite from her friend's recommendation. Her thoughts were so aloof, that the flavours did not register until now.

"Really good! Another smash hit from Shinobu-chan!" she announced, attempting to camouflage her previous behaviour. As expected, Shinobu blushed from the praise.

Whilst chewing, Patricia eyed her friend in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Totally!" Konata returned, "It just… takes a while to get used to eating with so many people. Normally I just eat with my father and my cousin."

"Oh, tell me about it!" gushed Patricia, "Being the only relative in my country, I get so lonely eating by myself!"

"Wh-What about you, Kotonoha-sempai?" Shinobu innocently asked.

"Me?" Kotonoha quietly contemplated, "Well before I arrived here, I used to have meals with my parents and my little sister."

"Hoh? You have a little sister? How nice!" Konata remarked, feeling more like her normal self again, "Perhaps we should make a trade; your sister for my cute cousin!"

"Oh you can take my sister, free of charge," the withdrawn girl replied, her sharp tongue catching the tenants off-guard, and even making some of them laugh. Kotonoha made it crystal clear that she wasn't very fond of her younger sibling.

Meanwhile, Naru felt some responsibility enter her system. Even though Konata heard every word of Naru's complaining, Konata was still wearing a cheerful mask, almost trying to dissuade Naru's clear hatred of her. Naru was ashamed of her petty outburst, and hearing Konata talk more and more only amplified her downcast demeanour. She remained quiet, even after everyone finished their meal.

…

* * *

…

It was seven in the evening, and it was Kitsune's idea for everyone to form a circle just outside Hinata-Sou. No silly games were played. No silly dares were organised. It was just everybody conversing and listening to one another; swapping stories, sharing childhoods and altogether having an enjoyable experience.

Only one of the tenants did not partake in such an activity. When Kitsune explained to everyone her good idea, Naru did not want to involve herself in the gathering, and made an excuse that she had to finish off some last minute revision. In actuality, Naru had no aspiration to revise old text books, nor possessed any desire to read, write, or do anything.

Naru's arms rested on the balcony, watching the spectacle of tenants appreciating each other's company. A rogue wind lifted her auburn hair as she continued observing the lively circle, the lighting from the dormitory illuminating their bodies. Keitaro, Kitsune, Kaolla Su and Shinobu accepted the new arrivals with open arms. Even Motoko, at the very least, tolerated their presence, even going as far to tell them about her history regarding the God's Cry School of Swordsmanship.

In the fear that anyone might accidentally locate her, Naru returned to her room and huddled into a corner, trying to resist all of the outdoor interaction. She felt weary and defeated. She had virtually spent all day studying, but she felt like she had not accomplished anything worthwhile.

"_Studying," _she thought to herself, worried about the purpose of her existence, _"that's all I ever do now, isn't it? At least everything would have paid off if I just passed those stupid entrance exams. But I didn't, did I? I failed to get into Todai, and now I have to wait a whole year before retaking them. I failed. I failed my tutor. I failed my family. I failed."_

She shakily rose to her feet, muttering, having an inner argument with herself.

"_Since then, all I've ever done is take out my frustrations on Keitaro… and even Konata as well. I mean, she was irritating, but she never deserved any of the things I've been saying about her."_

A tear escaped from her right eye. Furiously, she wiped the moisture away. Her hands were quivering. She was afraid, afraid of what she has become; an android that does not know the meaning of the word 'enjoyment'… a soulless body filled only with a solo ambition.

"_Why… why am I like this?"_

* * *

"Naru-san? Naru-sa~n?"

Patricia checked around the living room, but she was nowhere to be seen. A short while ago, Patricia learned that Konata and Naru had not been on good terms since Konata decided to venture inside her room. It was Konata herself who informed Patricia about this occurrence, and the petit girl did feel rather guilty about upsetting Naru like this. Patricia knew Konata was a bit of a mischief maker, and remembering her school years, there were certain students who did not approve of her silly behaviour, but she never expected one of the tenants to react so negatively towards her.

Patricia also learned a bit of interesting information from the manager; Naru was ranked at the top of the entrance mock exams, yet somehow failed when it came to taking the real thing. Since then, Naru's emotive levels have risen to their highest calibre, and even the tiniest of occurrences would trigger off her bad behaviour. Patricia knew Todai was one of the most prestigious universities in all of Japan, so passing the exam must have been imperative for the auburn haired girl.

With all of the details laid out in front of her, Patricia did not know whose fault this was to begin with, nor did she care. She harboured no ill feelings towards Naru, and she just wanted to resolve this situation as peacefully as she could.

There was no sign of Naru in the kitchen or the bathroom either, so Patricia figured Naru must be in her bedroom. She walked over to Naru's door, not exactly knowing how to react once she opened it. Before she made any sudden movements, Patricia… heard something; it was emitting out of Naru's room, and it sounded… electronic.

Patricia's curiosity changed into a big, broad and bright smile.

She slid the door open in an instant. Her suspicions were confirmed.

Naru looked like the proverbial child who was caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. In literal terms, Naru was sitting in the centre of her room, quite engaged to the computer game she was playing on the console.

It took five seconds for Naru to notice the audience of one; she hung her mouth in disbelief and unconsciously closed the lid of the DS.

Patricia narrowed her eyes and grinned wickedly. Naru tried to voice her own defence, but no words came out of her mouth, only short gasps of icy cold horror. In a flash, Patricia came to life; she grabbed Naru by the arm and whisked her downstairs and outside. The girls and Keitaro were perplexed and amazed to see Patricia and Naru so closely joined together; their closeness would have put Siamese twins to shame.

"Kona-chan! Look! Look!" Patricia shouted ecstatically, eyes closed shut, and waving Naru's wrist that had the console attached to it, "Pokémon Purple! She's playing Pokémon Purple!"

It took a split second for Konata's temperament to match Patricia's. Once that split-second had elapsed, the blunette was bouncing around with the energy of a caffeine thunderstorm.

"Yahoo! Incredible! You finally played it!" Konata cheered, trying to compete with the loudness of Patricia's voice. "Which type of character did you pick?! Which starting monster did you choose?! What clothes did you wear?! Did you find the legendary ruby yet?!"

Naru's face turned into a beetroot explosion.

"H-HEY! CUT IT OUT YOU TWO! I WAS JUST WATCHING THE INTRO! STOP BUGGING ME!"

Sipping on a glass of sake, Kitsune casually watched the three-way interaction. The others observed the situation as well, warm smiles and grins shown by all of them.

"Looks like our family has just got a little bigger," the fox told everyone.

"Sure has," Keitaro agreed.

"ENOUGH WITH THE EASY GOING ATTITUDES!" Naru complained loudly, trying to escape from the amplified harassment of the new tenants, "ISN'T ANYONE GOING TO HELP ME FROM THESE TWO LUNATICS?!"

* * *

**Author: **I know it's a slow start, but sometimes I need a chapter or two to fully flesh out the characters and their interactions with one another. In the next chapter, things start to get more interesting, as Konata and Patricia give Haruka's café a 'slight' makeover. Also, the fourth soon-to-be tenant finally arrives in Hinata-Sou… but who is she? Stay tuned!

~Rdz


	4. chapter three

The abrupt explosion forced Keitaro to leap out of his bed, the earth-shattering noise enough to activate his five key senses, as well as umpteen others that he never recently discovered until now. The thought of what caused such a chaotic commotion on this Wednesday morning panicked him even further. Where did this explosion come from? Who initiated the explosion in the first place? Were the girls safe? Heavens and deities above, he wouldn't know how to live with himself if anything happened to his tenants.

With concentration and disorder battling for supremacy, Keitaro struggled to get his clothes ready before dashing downstairs. He was only successful in wearing his white shirt over his pajamas, as well as having one slipper on his right foot. When he arrived on the ground floor, Keitaro looked like a mental patient with a pogo stick, hopping whilst trying to comprehend this hectic situation.

Fortunately, none of the girls were hurt or injured. Case in point: they were all standing around in the vicinity of the kitchen, most of them dressed in their bed-wear. Relieved that everyone was okay, Keitaro walked over to the area that triggered the alarm in the first place.

The washing machine was triumphant in unleashing an enormous mess. An uncoordinated path of soggy clothes and soapy liquid had spewed out of its large circular mouth, altogether combining into a watery and somewhat artistic kind of crazy creation. Standing a short distance to the right of the washing machine was Kotonoha, who was bowing frequently and apologetically. All poor Kotonoha wanted to do was help out with some of the household chores; there was no way she could of ever anticipated making such a disastrous outcome.

If Keitaro would have so much as bought a clue, he would have realised that staring at Kotonoha apologising was like watching a female mirror-image of himself. Keitaro however, was not so clueless when it came to activating his primal stimulation. Case in point: Kotonoha's precious baby blue dress was unmercifully drenched due to the washing machine's unexpected assault. The soapy waters rendered her wardrobe transparent, transparent enough to witness her elaborately stitched white underwear. Beneath such an angelic beauty lied two watermelons of flesh, trapped only within a thin layer of netting. All it would take was an unfastening of her bra, and the manager would bear witness to another kind of explosion. Keitaro's entirety very much resembled a vibrating washing machine itself, and if he was not so careful, he was going to spew out a lot more than just soap and water.

Unfortunately for Keitaro, Naru's and Motoko's technology-advanced eyesight was quick to spot his inappropriate behaviour.

"Keeiiitaaarooo," Naru said slowly in a ghostly voice, preparing her Naru Punch like a wind-up toy, "why are you looking at Kotonoha-san like that…?"

Keitaro quickly faced the demoness and stuck out his hands in a defensive position.

"Um… …w-water, water everywhere, so let's all have a drink?" he whimpered.

Naru charged in his direction, a cloudy destination present in her mission objective. She was about to throw her left arm, when suddenly, she slipped and skidded into the path of clothes and water. She stumbled into the manager, and the two of them crashed onto the floor, swirly eyes occupying their faces. Naturally, this second disaster only caused further disconcertion from the tenants; a few of the girls might have been entertained from all of this, if they didn't have to wake up so early in the day.

Keitaro was the first to recover. He gently pressed Naru away… only to stop in his mid-pressing. Naru's top, a summery yellow t-shirt, was the next item of clothing to be invaded by h20. Chest completely saturated, Naru's bra was unveiled to be a simple, but wonderful colour of pink. White and pink were definitely Keitaro's favourite colours for the rest of the morning. His least favourite though had to be red. Despite covering his nose, copious amounts of the colour were trickling down between his fingers.

"Aaaah excuse me everyone! I need to use the bathroom!" he shouted, his distressed voice muffled in his hands as he blitzed upstairs.

"I'm wondering; does this sort of thing happen all the time?" Konata asked with a yawn.

Patricia laughed nervously. "Probably."

…

* * *

...

Regardless of their unfortunate five-in-the-morning beginning, Keitaro and the tenants managed to get themselves back to bed, the former sorting out the mess with Kotonoha beforehand. At six, Keitaro and Motoko were the first to be up, Keitaro getting ready with his household duties, Motoko practising her sword skills outside. Thirty minutes later, the sound of grumbling and fidgeting was faintly heard from Konata's and Patricia's room. Just like Tuesday, which was their first day working at the Hinata Café, they had to perform their morning rituals before arriving to their workplace at seven. With Konata, who still had some toast in her mouth, and Patricia, who had forgotten to tie her left shoelace, the two of them waved to Keitaro before heading off for another day of serving customers. A comforting warmth entered Keitaro's wellbeing as he returned the wave. Though their behaviours were sometimes regarded as eccentric, Konata and Patricia really were an easy-going pair of young women, and Keitaro truly enjoyed being a small part of their everyday life.

Between seven and eight were when the rest of the tenants began to stir; it was still spring break, so nobody had to worry about attending school or cram school for the rest of this week. Though vaguely awake, Kitsune still lingered in her bed; Kitsune's holiday started two years ago, and showed no hints of ending anytime soon.

"Are… are you sure you will be okay by yourself, Kotonoha-sempai?" Shinobu asked, her hands clasped in concern.

Kotonoha nodded, as she tied her apron, and readied the various apparatuses and devices on the kitchen shelf. "Mm, I should be fine Shinobu-chan; I've practiced some cooking of my own back at my mother's house."

Shinobu still felt troubled after Kotonoha's reply, but in the end decided to have faith in the girl's newfound confidence. "Well… okay, but please call out to me if you need any help."

"Okay."

* * *

With no other jobs left for her to finish, Shinobu skipped out of the dormitory, embracing the sun as her feet landed on the pavement. Though she enjoyed the presence of Konata and Patricia, she especially adored being in the company of Kotonoha. In spite of the age difference, Kotonoha was very much like Shinobu; she was delicate, withdrawn, but also showed traces of stubbornness when it came to performing certain household chores. It seemed only natural that two people sharing the same innocent personalities would get along so well together.

A tiny butterfly came into view, fluttering close to Shinobu's face, and showing off her shades of violet and blue. Slowly, Shinobu offered her forefinger, hoping that the winged creature would accept this subtle invitation. To her astonishment, the butterfly did, nature's own creation perched on the very tip of her fingernail. Shinobu studied the butterfly carefully, noting the way she slowly exercised her wings.

"Looks like I made another friend," she whispered, a genuine smile stretching across her lips.

A loud 'BANG' suddenly shook the vary foundations of the dormitory, the butterfly escaping without as much as a second thought. Knowing the blast definitely came from the kitchen, a very startled Shinobu hurried back inside.

* * *

Shinobu was horrified to see that everything was in disarray and disaster, including Kotonoha, who was flapping her arms around in total panic. The cooking pot was overflowing, the oven was noisily complaining, and the blender was used without its lid, causing a widespread pattern of varying liquids. Once again, the tenants gathered round to witness this second unruly act of the morning.

"H-How did this happen?!" Kotonoha asked herself, darting all around the place and becoming giddy in the process.

Shinobu tried to keep her nerves together, as she put on her serious working demeanour. One by one, she switched off the threatening appliances, rendering the kitchen to quietness once more. Shinobu then braced herself, oven-mitts at the ready, before opening the oven door. She protected herself just in time, as a mass thickness of black smoke was unleashed, completely filling up the kitchen, and spreading across the living room as well. The tenants all pitched in, as they opened some of the windows to counter the bellowing gas.

…

* * *

They were gathered around the table, their uncertain expressions as dense as the previous oven smog. An assortment of 'delicacies' were displayed on each of their plates, their burnt textures and smells offending every animate and inanimate object in the area. When it was hard to distinguish what was meat and what was vegetable, it was safe to assume that Kotonoha's cooking skills were less than satisfactory.

Kitsune titled her nose as she savoured the flavour of smoke and death. "Um… bon appe-shit?"

"Hey, don't be so rude!" Naru scolded her, "Just because it looks… different doesn't mean it will taste bad!"

To validate her point, Naru, shaky chopsticks in hand, picked up a piece of carrot, which appeared to be caramelised in sulphuric acid. The anaemic blend of orange and yellow dangled lifelessly between the eating tools. Naru twisted her lips, imagining the flavour before it even entered her mouth. She then loosened her hold of the chopsticks.

"C-Come on Keitaro, you try some!" she laughed awkwardly, "You haven't even touched your plate yet!"

Keitaro wondered why he was being solely targeted before making a reply. "Huh? Oh… well, as the saying goes, ladies first!"

Kaolla was perhaps the more bewildered girl of the table; she stared at her plate astonishingly. "I no understand. There is food, but I do not feel like eating."

Kotonoha's vision circled around the table, her expression becoming crestfallen from the discomforting air. It was to be expected, she thought to herself. No matter how many times her mother tried to teach her, the end result would always be the same; a big failure.

The unexpected and rapid sounds of eating caused everyone to face in one direction, namely, the direction leading to one Shinobu Maehara. Out of all the possibilities in the world, it was the shy girl, of all people, who picked up her chopsticks and shovelled down the food in a very Kaolla-like manner.

"(mm) Ignore them (munch) Kotonoha-sempai," Shinobu said between chews, "It's really (gulp) re… remarkable!"

Witnessing Shinobu eating the food infused Keitaro with some bravery of his own. Grabbing the sticks, he prepared to mimic the gorging habits of the blunette.

"(munch-munch) mm… yes I agree!" he added with a high and vigorous voice, "The… (mm) the texture! It has that (munch) planetary… uniqueness to it!"

With wide eyes, Kotonoha rapidly turned her head left and right, as though she were the umpire in an intense game of tennis. The end result was a stalemate. Even their chopsticks bounced off the empty plates at the same time. After wiping the excess crumbs from their lips, Keitaro and Shinobu exchanged wordless messages with their confident facial features.

…

"_Nice job Shinobu-chan," _Keitaro praised telepathically, his background displaying a pink backdrop with multi-coloured stars.

…

Shinobu nodded once, as she returned the praise with a small smile, donning the same backdrop as the manager. _"You too, Sempai."_

…

Then… they instantly fell unconscious, their faces splatting on the empty plates.

"Holy crap! They're dead!" Kitsune reacted, covering her mouth in shock.

"I'll get the stomach medicine!" Naru ordered herself, "Kitsune! Kaolla! Check to see if they have a pulse!"

Kotonoha watched as the whole table came to life, with the exception of the two who dared sample her breakfast. The poor girl was heartbroken, waterfall tears escaping from her circular, chibi-like eyes.

…

* * *

…

Over the next few hours, Kotonoha tried her best as she performed a few extra tasks around the dormitory. Sadly, her performances only resulted in more complications. With the vacuum cleaner, she managed to lose control of it, and ended up absorbing certain items that were incompatible, resulting in one unpleasant malfunction. She then tried having a go at scrubbing the living room walls, but stumbled off the chair she was standing on. Keitaro was there to cushion the fall, but the situation took a turn for the worse when Motoko rushed into the scene, only to find Kotonoha's face plastered on top of Keitaro's crotch. It was too late for excuses. One swift ki blast, and the manager was catapulted into the clouds.

With all of her previous mistakes piling up, Kotonoha hoped to redeem herself by sweeping away the excess leaves by the hotsprings. Keitaro returned from his airline travels, just in time to see the lavender haired girl slip on a patch of water, plummeting into the hotsprings with a terrific splosh. Keitaro hurried to her aid and helped her slowly to the surface. Another one of Kotonoha's dresses was completely drenched. Another chance for Keitaro to gawk at her see-through goodness.

Then the two of them noticed Naru observing the situation, looking like a cross between a devil and a volcano.

Another unexpected trip into the sky.

…

* * *

…

Not wanting to risk a virus epidemic, the tenants politely declined against Kotonoha's idea of making lunch for them. Instead, they all decided to make a journey towards the Hinata Café, and purchase some meals once they arrived. They were almost three-quarters towards their destination.

"…really Katsura-san, you don't need to trouble yourself by doing all the work," Keitaro told Kotonoha, "so long as you pay the rent every month, you don't have to worry about anything else."

"But…"

Keitaro looked at her thoughtfully. "What's wrong?"

Kotonoha quietly sighed. "It's just that I'm… unemployed… and I don't really want to be a burden by not doing anything."

"I… I'll assist her with some of the chores," Shinobu encouraged, lifting Kotonoha's spirit a little, "that is… if that's okay with you, Sempai."

Keitaro nodded slowly to himself. "Well… alright. I guess it would be helpful to have an extra set of hands around the place."

Taking Keitaro's words as a means of acceptance, Kotonoha and Shinobu looked at each other, identical eyesmiles on each of their faces.

"See that?" Naru said to Kitsune, poking her arm to grab her attention, "Unlike you, Kotonoha-san actually feels guilty for not working!"

Kitsune folded her arms. "Hmph! I have you know I can work pretty hard as well!"

"Riiiight… you either work on your alcohol, or your phony freelancing job!"

"It's freelance journalism, and it's not phony… it's just very… exclusive."

"Yeah, as exclusive as it is non-existent!"

The two girls ceased their bickering and movement once they reached the entrance of the Hinata Café. Likewise, the others stopped moving as well.

A startled air was immediately spread throughout the tenants. From behind the closed door, they heard electric guitars fused together with dance music, combining into one crazy mishmash of a soundtrack. As if that was not alarming enough, the music was adorned with a whole range of human emotions, mainly ones of outcry and cheering.

Kitsune leaned towards the left and spied into the square window. From what she could see, there were two male teenagers, with thick spectacles and scruffy hair – like Keitaro, but even goofier. The pair clinked their glasses of coke, obviously celebrating their presence here. On further inspection, her eyes quickly located a small figure… dressed up in some kind of martial arts outfit. Weird. Before she could register the image, the figure was already out of view.

The tenants and Keitaro all looked at each other wordlessly. Their imaginations, however, were practically screaming with interest or worriment… or both. The Hinata Café used to be a place of serenity, where people would relax, unwind, and temporarily forget about all of their worldly troubles. What on earth was going on?

Naru could not hold back the suspense any longer. "Okay, so it sounds livelier than it used to be, but come on! I'm sure it's still the same place we all know and love…"

She pushed the door open and walked inside, the musical ambience blasting in full volume. Three steps north, Naru was rendered to a standstill.

"…right?"

The remaining group of six shuffled towards Naru, stopping when they reached the tight proximity of where the girl stood.

They couldn't believe their eyes.

The first sight they observed were all of the brightly coloured decorations, draped across the walls and ceiling. This display of eye-candy, however, was just the icing in comparison to the rest of the atmosphere.

The café was chock-full of rowdy and excited male teenagers, an even ratio of scrawny guys and overweight hulks of flesh; there was no in between. Whilst most of them were happily guzzling into their lunch and drink, some were being served and entertained by two waitresses wearing brightly coloured cosplay outfits. The tenants wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them, but as they honed in on their eyesight, they realised that their vision told them no lies; the two waitresses were Konata and Patricia.

After serving a customer, Konata quickly spotted the group of familiar people, a big beaming grin briefly appearing on her face. The tenants were further amazed when the blue haired girl didn't just walk towards them, she _rolled _towards them, miraculously avoiding tables and startled customers along the way.

"Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll!" she announced ecstatically whilst rolling forward.

When she was two inches away from Keitaro, Konata sprung upwards and landed perfectly on her feet; it was perhaps the most original entrance the manager had ever bared witnessed to. Keitaro, still perplexed and amazed, took a good few seconds to acknowledge her altered appearance. Konata's primary outfit entailed a pink karate gi with a black undershirt. A black sash was tied around her waist, indicating she was a martial artist of the highest level. Her hair was tied back and tucked into her clothing, granting her a sort of boyish look. Simple sandals and socks occupied her feet.

"Welcome to the Saikyo-ryu Dojo!" she greeted in a brash tone, augmenting her introduction with a karate-styled straight fist, "Do you wish for food and drink, or do you wish to challenge Hibiki-dono himself, and serve your purpose as a stepping stone to my greatness?"

Keitaro reacted to Konata's summary by smiling awkwardly, scratching his right cheek. "Um… I would like a table please, Hibiki-dono."

The pink martial artist nodded sagely. "So you choose common entertainment and relaxation over a fight to the death; a sensible choice. Follow me!"

Konata led the bewildered group to a wooden rectangular table, surrounded with chairs, napkins and cutlery. When they were all seated, the small girl quickly handed each person a menu.

"Make your choices very soon! The blue wrestler will be with you shortly!" she concluded, and rolled away before anyone had the chance to reply.

Keitaro didn't look at his menu just yet. Rather, he was still too busy breathing in the wild air engulfing the room. After a short period of time, he finally broke the silence.

"Ha ha! Well this is different, isn't it?" he said to everyone, laughing very nervously.

He then briefly looked at everybody around the table. There was a whole range of mixed expressions.

"This used to be such a peaceful place," Naru said melancholy, tiny white circles occupying her eyes.

Kaolla and Kitsune however, loved every minute of it; the former enjoying all of the accumulated excitement, the later marvelling at the originality of Konata's wardrobe. Kotonoha and Shinobu's nervousness increased tenfold, their persona not very suited to the vast amounts of loudness.

Motoko coughed politely to register Keitaro's attention.

"Urashima…"

Keitaro turned to face the reserved swordswoman. "Um, are you okay, Motoko-chan?"

"I wish to challenge Izumi-san."

A sweat drop appeared on the back of everyone.

"Oh, um, I'm afraid she was just roleplaying," Keitaro explained, "she's not a martial artist in real life. _At least I don't think she is…"_

Motoko nodded solemnly. "So she is simply cloaking herself as a warrior. That is… disappointing."

Keitaro and the others decided that now would be the best time to check out the menu. The list of food, drink and dessert pretty much consisted of the same items back when the Hinata Café was in its golden days (i.e. normal). There was one or two extra meals, but nothing extraordinarily noticeable. Keitaro pondered on what to have for lunch. He knew Haruka was an expert at making curry, but debated if it was the right choice to make, given the hot weather wasn't really suitable enough to have anything spicy. Perhaps a toasted sandwich, he thought to himself; he hasn't had one of those in a very long time.

"Flyiiiiiiiiing Peaaaach!"

Keitaro glanced from his menu, his eyes widening in fear. He had zero time to react, as a flying bottom was propelled into his very face. He was, as anyone might have guessed, completely freaked out of his skull… as was Naru… as was Shinobu… as was every customer in the entire room.

"P… Patricia-san?!" Keitaro gasped, realising her identity, "Is that really you?!"

"Pat-ric-ia?" the American asked herself, "No, no, no! In the wrestling universe, I only go by the name of Rainbow Mika! And I have selected you, man with glasses, to be my most cherished and loyal number one fan!"

Keitaro examined Patricia's wardrobe; with the way she was dressed, Keitaro had no choice but to make eye contact. Patricia showed off her flamboyant blue and white outfit, complete with white thrills and many exposed areas, the more noticeable exposures being her shoulders, cleavage and her twin 'cheeks'. She also wore long, white laced boots and a blue eye mask. Since her character's hairdo consisted of extravagantly lengthy twin-tails, Patricia had to utilise hair extensions to mimic this certain style. It was very realistic though, virtually to the point where it resembled her natural hair length.

The fidgety Urashima then glanced around the room, wondering what caused him a sudden unnatural chill. Every customer stared at him with demonic, glowing red orbs. Naru was even more sinister looking, her own eyes blazing a black unearthly fire. Yes, he concluded, those were definitely plausible reasons for this haunting coldness.

Patricia paid no attention to anybody other than Keitaro; with a short bounce, she parked her rear on the corner of the table, retrieving her pen and notepad in the process. "So, my super number one fan, what would you like to have?"

Keitaro blushed into his menu. "Erm… a glass of lemonade, and a toasted cheese and ham sandwich please!"

The blonde nodded, scribbling down the order. "Mm-hm, and what about everyone else?"

"_Everyone else?" _Naru thought, not appreciating the way the rest of the girls were treated as a secondary 'thing'. Nonetheless, she was too hungry to complain and ordered something quick and simple to sedate her hunger. Once the tenants had made their selections, Patricia winked and blew a kiss towards Keitaro before jogging away.

Naru folded her arms, forming a cold and impenetrable wall between her and the manager.

"Well, aren't we the popular guy, mister super special number one fan?" she dryly told him.

Her words and mannerisms placed Keitaro in a very uncomfortable spot.

"H-Hey!" he argued, "It's not like I asked Patricia-san to stick her (ahem) peach in my face!"

The fox grinned and leaned a bit towards the manager. "Oh don't mind Naru, she's just a little butt-hurt!"

"I AM NOT BUTT-HURT!" yelled Naru.

Silence spread throughout the room. Even the music stopped playing, and the customers were staring at the tenant-filled table. After a painstakingly awkward ten seconds, the ambience returned to its crazy normality.

"Anyhow," Kitsune continued, becoming serious for a moment, "don't you guys find it surprising that Haruka is allowing all of this?"

Keitaro mused on her words. "It is a bit strange. I would never imagine her allowing so much excitement in her own café. I wonder where she is anyway?"

Seconds after asking his question, a dark shadow stretched across the table. They all looked straight ahead. The shadow belonged to none other than the owner of the Hinata Café, Haruka Urashima. She carried a tray of assorted drinks… and she wore an attire that controlled absolute bewilderment.

Unlike Patricia, Haruka was completely clothed from the neck down. She wore a deep red militant uniform, which made her look aggressive enough, if not for her additional pieces of armoury, not to mention the massive shadowy cloak draped across her back. On top of her head was a red service cap. It slightly shaded her eyes, permitting a more menacing personality.

She stood there for a while, eyes staring into space. Then, she uttered two words, in the most incredibly monotonous voice imaginable.

"Psycho Crusher."

The tenants stared at the transformed woman with pin-eyed expressions. Haruka then placed the drinks on the table, and left without anything else to say.

"Um, thanks Au… Haru… Master Bison," Keitaro stuttered.

…

…

…

* * *

…

…

…

The girl stared towards the window, the forever changing scenery whizzing by. The bright afternoon sun, accumulated with the population of passengers made the enclosed air dense and muggy. That she had to remain standing during most of the journey made the general experience quite unpleasant.

…

She breathed a great sigh of relief when the train finally slowed to a grinding halt. The doors opened and the impatiently waiting people spilled onto the platform, adjusting their clothes and their luggage in the process. The girl forced herself out of the mass of bodies, and strolled towards a vacant bench, ever thankful for having her own personal space. She set her luggage down, which consisted of her handbag and a sporty red backpack, and obtained a carton of juice from one of the larger pockets. The drink was lukewarm due to the rising temperature, but she was thirsty enough not to care. The carton was emptied in no time at all, and was quickly tossed into a nearby bin.

As she straightened herself up, the girl unconsciously groomed the back of her head. She frowned as she fingered her bushy brown horsetail; she was nineteen now, and she wondered if this particular hairstyle made her look childish. This then led to her questioning her own wardrobe, compromising of a pink sports vest, jean shorts and trainers. It was the sort of clothing deemed fine for visiting people she knew, but this was a very different situation. She felt like she was about to take a job interview, or sign up for an important membership.

The girl shook her head lightly, dispelling her petty thoughts away. She calmly took a deep breath, re-gathered her belongings and readied herself for the last lap.

…

* * *

…

Naru took her time eating her chicken flavoured noodles. The taste of the food was succulent enough to lower her blood pressure, though the zany ambience still mildly bothered her.

"Mmm! This is really good!" Keitaro commented, enjoying his lunch more and more with every bite. Although it was just a simple toasted sandwich, eating whilst listening to the music and the lively atmosphere really made the meal so much more tastier.

Before the tenants settled into their comfort zones, a loud, angry and rather obnoxious voice was heard from the opposite corner of the room. The voice belonged to an extremely overweight man in his late thirties, sitting on a square table for one. He was bald and beady eyed, and carried this air that made him believe he was worth billions of yen. He banged on the table three times to amplify his unbearable character.

Patricia hurried over to the large and rotund man, her foremost objective: always maintain the character, no matter how problematic the situation. "Hello there, my adorable young fan! Would you like my autograph?"

"Wh-What are you talking about?!" the complainer replied, "It's about my food! I was supposed to have mushy peas and medium steak, but the steak is too well done, and all of my peas are very much spherical!"

Patricia reacted in a very remorseful manner. She leaned forward, her chest bouncing to exemplify her sexiness. There was barely an inch of space separating her and the customer. In the customer's vision, her eyes were as wide as two sapphire sparkling swimming pools, each zone of water begging to be dived into. Her entire face was etched in infinite concern, and her lips quivered, entertaining the possibility that cascades of water will seep through those lovely blue orbs.

"I'm really very sorry sir! I have spent so much time wrestling and entertaining my sea of supporters, but alas, I cannot even perform the simple task of remembering exactly what my beloved fan wanted to order! How can I ever redeem myself?"

The man was speechless, but his beet red face was doing all of the replying. He cleared his throat in a lengthy duration, and was luckily able to find his voice box again.

"W-Well… haha," he laughed mildly, his temperament plummeting to a snivelling little puddle of lameness, "you know… it… it doesn't matter, really! Actually, forget everything I just said! The food is fine! It tastes great, and I've always wanted to experience non-mushy peas in the first place!"

"Really?" Patricia said meekly, "You're not saying that just to be polite, are you?"

"Nononono, definitely not! The food is great! Really! There's nothing to complain about!"

The Cosplayer pulled herself away from the chubby, circular face. She winked at him, nearly giving the guy a heart attack. "Well, if you have any complaints, please don't hesitate to call me, my ultra-special number one fan!"

"Y-Yes Rainbow Mika!"

"_Incredible," _thought Keitaro, who was completely absorbed from the interaction, as were the others. _"She practically had him eating at the palm of her hand!"_

Naru felt a creeping rage inside of her. She thought she had at last settled down, but the drama between Patricia and the fat customer reignited her bodily system. Also, she had already finished her chicken noodles, and debated over ordering a fresh plate, just to control her anger.

"_I wish everyone would hurry up with their food; I want to get out of here as soon as possible!"_

Konata then rolled towards the tenants again, much to the increasing aggravation of a certain Narusegawa. She checked to see if everything was satisfactory.

"Are you enjoying your food?! Because if you're not, the only way to get a refund is to challenge me and win!" Konata taunted, flexing her arm.

Motoko literally rose to the challenge, releasing her katana and preparing herself for a duel. "I find the food commendable, but I also wish to test your skills Hibiki-san! Prepare yourself!"

Konata started to sweat. _"Oh crap, she's taking this seriously!"_

"Motoko, she's cosplaying!" Keitaro reminded her, fearful of everyone's safety.

Remembering what Keitaro said earlier, Motoko sheathed her weapon and sat down again, making a lot of the customers disappointed. "My apologises, I simply got caught up in the moment."

"_Strike two,"_ Naru thought to herself. This whole ordeal was really starting to grate on her nerves now, and if she had to witness anymore close-up retarded encounters, then that was it. She would leave, and would never return to this mental hospital for as long as she existed.

"Holy crap!" two male voices said in unison, "Keitaro! Girls! Long time, no see!"

Keitaro glimpsed from his leftover lunch. The young adults who greeted him in such a way were two of Keitaro's best friends, Haitani and Shirai. Actually, there were very much his only friends, as no sophisticated and cool people would ever hang around with Keitaro. Haitani was the lanky one who led to believe he was more attractive than his actual appearance. Shirai was the shorter, tubbier one who had a creepy obsession for older women, with Keitaro's aunt being the top of his list of love. Both wore circular spectacles, and both had messy brown hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Hey Haitani, Shirai, fancy seeing you two here!" Keitaro returned. Thinking about it, he should have gathered that anything Cosplay orientated was bound to attract these guys.

Haitani then activated his terminator eyesight. One by one, he scanned each person on the table.

Motoko Aoyama (who reacted with a frown): So cool and awesome. Neither busty nor cute, but carries an air of uniqueness that is in a league of her own. Ten out of ten.

Shinobu Maehara (who looked worried): Maybe wait a couple of years. Eight out of ten.

Kaolla Su (who tilted her head with a puzzled smile): Same as Shinobu. Eight out of ten.

Kitsune (who finished off a glass of sake): Purple shirt. Huge breasts. Cleavage. Win. Eleven out of ten.

Naru: (who looked like she was about to whip up a thunderstorm): Drop dead gorgeous, as always. Looks really pissed off for some reason. Eleven out of ten.

Keitaro: Same gender. Irrelevant.

Mysterious Girl (who looked more worried than Shinobu): …

"_Wait! What? How? Who is she?!"_

With a rush of retarded passion, Haitani knelt down and clasped both of Kotonoha's hands, causing the poor girl even more alarm.

"Who are you, and where have you been all my life?!"

Keitaro had a look of awkwardness on his face as he replied. "That's Kotonoha Katsura. She's one of the newest tenants who works hard around the dormitory."

Haitani swiftly stood up, and copied the same jealous expression as Shirai.

"You have a new tenant?!" Shirai shouted, pointing at Keitaro, "You jammy little shitbucket! How long were you intending to keep her hidden away from us?!"

"Um…" a nervous eyesmiling Kotonoha begun… but Motoko placed a hand on her shoulder, motioning to her that it was recommended to say nothing at this stage.

Haitani then nestled a thumb and forefinger between his chin, frowning deeply in concentration. "Hmm… wait a minute… you said _one _of the newest tenants…"

"You mean there's more?!" Shirai asked incredulously.

Keitaro looked at the ceiling, appearing very naïve to his very demanding friends. "Well… you've probably already seen them, but they're the two girls working here! The one dressed as Dan Hibiki is Konata, and the one dressed as Rainbow Mika is Patricia!"

His two buddies wasted no time in dragging Keitaro out of his seat, and started pulling the guy like a human tug-of-war.

"Are you freaking serious?!"

"One angelic beauty and two Cosplayers?!"

"Don't you realise how extremely lucky you are?!"

"Yeah! I would sacrifice my left testicle to be in the situation you're in!"

The sound of Naru rising from the table grabbed everyone's attention, including Haitani and Shirai, who both let go of Keitaro's arms. She placed some yen notes next to her plate and proceeded to leave the café.

"Well, this has certainly been an 'interesting' experience," she concluded, showing no absence of bitterness, "but I think I've wasted enough time here already. Excuse me."

When she left the café, Keitaro's look of confusion quickly turned into one of worry. "Naru? Naru, hey where are you going?"

"Just let her be," sighed Kitsune, placing one hand on the side of her face, "She's probably just ratty because she's not used to being in a lively atmosphere."

"_It's taken me a while to get used to it too," _thought Kotonoha, who due to her frail nature, was surprised that she hadn't fainted yet.

"I hope she doesn't think this is my fault," Keitaro thought shamefully, "I mean, it was my idea to come here in the first place."

"Oh come on hon'," the fox heartened, "stop beating yourself up over trivial things. Just get back here and get another drink down you!"

Motoko sipped on some green tea before calmly voicing her opinion. "I agree. You were not at fault this time Urashima, and I'm sure Naru-sempai will return to her regular self soon enough."

The manager was stunned from Motoko's speech. _"Woah, did Motoko-chan actually sympathise with me? Wait… what does she mean by 'this time'?"_

Though reluctant to leave Naru by herself, Keitaro decided to re-join his table. Haitani and Shirai left the group alone for a moment; Haitani opted to buy a drink at the bar, and Shirai decided to search for Haruka, in order to marvel at her uniform.

As he popped the last of his sandwich into his mouth, something tugged the back of Keitaro's mind.

"You're not still thinking about Naru, are you?" Kitsune inquired.

He frowned and shook his head. "No, no, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Keitaro closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. "I just have this odd feeling… like I was supposed to remember something really important…"

* * *

Naru let out a much needed gasp of relief. It was hot outside, but the outdoors was so much more refreshing compared to the stuffy nightmare inside the café, now transformed into Cosplay insanity. The commotions and music still lingered in her ears.

"_Every day just gets weirder and weirder; it feels like everyone just wants to make my life a living hellhole! Everything is changing as well! First, more crazy girls enter the dormitory, and now the beloved tea shop gets transmuted into… whatever the hell it is now! Why can't everything just be the way it used to be?"_

Too occupied with her own thoughts, Naru was walking in such a hasty pace, that she failed to notice another girl heading towards her; this other girl appeared to be in a mind of her own as well. They bumped into each other, not a spectacular collision like the ones she was used to with the manager, but impactful enough to send the girls back to reality. Naru covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" she said frantically.

The other girl's reaction was nearly identical to Naru's. "No, it was my fault! I should have paid more attention!"

After their abrupt meeting, the two girls quickly bowed before heading opposite ways. Naru decided not to return to Hinata-Sou just yet; she felt she needed a little walk, a little air to clear up her own convoluting thoughts. Impulsively, she turned around, half-examining the girl she recently collided into. The girl had stopped moving, and was uneasily looking around the area.

"Are you okay?" Naru found herself asking.

The girl turned around, a little startled that the stranger was still talking to her. She composed herself as well as she could before responding.

"Yeah, well… actually no, I'm kind of lost. Are you a local here?"

Naru nodded. "Where do you need to go?"

The girl fished out a small map from her jean pockets and unfolded it. Naru looked at the map with her, and the girl pointed to a red dot located around the centre.

"I think it's pronounced 'Hinata-Sou'," she explained to Naru, "It's an all-girls dormitory; have you heard of this place?"

Naru's mouth was agape like a fish.

"Are you going to be living there?!" she asked in astonishment, "Omigosh! You must be the new tenant!"

The girl was sharply taken aback by Naru's words. She joined her brows together. "How… how did you know?"

"Because I live there myself!" Naru stated, matter-of-factly. She then bowed to the newest arrival. "I'm Naru Narusegawa! Pleased to meet you!"

The girl returned with a bow of her own. "And I'm Otome Katou; I guess bumping into you was a stroke of luck!"

"I guess," Naru replied, and the two giggled after uncovering this revelation.

A deep growl emitted within Otome's stomach, as though a grouchy tiger was living inside. Certainly, it was loud enough for Naru to hear.

"Hungry?"

Otome nodded sheepishly. "Starving! I haven't had a bite to eat since I woke up!"

The brown-haired girl then pointed to the very place where Naru had recently departed from.

"This must be the Hinata Café then," she realised, in a 'hey-let's-go-to-the-café' type of manner, "I heard this place is pretty well known."

Before Naru could reply, Otome had already jogged over to the café. She opened the door, and was blocked by a stationary woman wearing a red uniform.

"Psycho Cru-"

Naru dashed over in the nick of time and slammed the door shut.

"Um, I don't think you would like it here!" she stated, "It's chock full of weirdoes!"

From seeing that brightly crimson coloured lady, Otome felt inclined to agree.

"Why don't I take you to the dormitory?" Naru suggested, "I can fix you up with something once we get there!"

Otome showed a smile of gratitude. "If that's okay with you then thanks! I'll definitely take you up on that offer!"

…

* * *

…

A sweat drop hung behind Otome when she looked at the flight of steps. Nevertheless, she was happy enough not to make a big deal out of it, and she appreciated Naru helping her out with her baggage. Reaching the top, Otome admired at the sight of her new home, as well as being especially impressed with the hotsprings. Compared to her old apartment, Hinata-Sou was a platinum coated palace with additional bonuses. Watching Otome made Naru smile in puzzlement. Konata, Patricia and Kotonoha had the same feelings when they arrived here as well; they were so fascinated with this place that they kept on talking about it yesterday and the day before.

"_Is it really that incredible?" _she wondered, pursing her lips.

When they walked inside, Otome sat relaxed in the living room, and Naru prepared her a ham and chicken sandwich with some salad. Otome wolfed down the food in minutes. Full up and relaxed, Naru took this opportunity to explain the current situation, since Otome did vaguely wonder why the two of them were the only girls in attendance. Naru conjured up a little white lie, telling her that the manager and the rest of the tenants had an important errand to attend to, and should be arriving in the dormitory anytime soon. The auburn-haired girl felt uncomfortable lying to someone she had only recently met, but what was the alternative? Sorry, Keitaro couldn't make it because he completely forgot about you coming over? Sorry, the dopey three year ronin couldn't be here because he was too busy getting peach-pressed by a scantily clad wrestler?

"_Just wait until that idiot arrives!" _she thought, wrinkling her nose in irritation, _"I swear! H__e owes me big time for this!"_

"Are you okay?" asked Otome.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine!" Naru replied rapidly, "Can I make you a drink?"

"Well actually I-"

"I'll make you a drink! You must be parched from your journey!"

"I guess."

Naru rushed to the kitchen, and had a look in the cupboard to see what juices were available; orange and lemon looked to be a refreshing combination. As she was mixing the liquids, the girl's thoughts were drawn to the newest arrival. From first impressions, Otome seemed to be a very kind and friendly young lady. More importantly though, Otome was just… well, she was just _normal_! She had none of those crazy otaku characteristics like Konata or Patricia, nor was she overly shy and afraid and destructive like Kotonoha. Otome was just right, and it was exactly what Naru was after in a tenant.

"_Thank the heavens!" _Naru thought, joyfully weeping with closed eyes, _"That's all I ever wanted; no stupidity, no insanity, no cosplaying, just a normal girl with a normal personality and a normal temperament! She's perfect!"_

"Narusegawa-san?"

Hearing the voice of her new friend, Naru opened her eyes, and realised the glass was overflowing; she quickly mopped up the spillage with a towel before giving the drink to Otome. Naru then joined her at the table, and watched the girl as she sipped into the glass.

"So about the manager," the new girl asked, after emptying her drink.

Naru answered almost straight away. "You do realise he's a guy, right?"

"Of course I do! I spoke to him on the phone a couple of times!"

"_Of course, the phone calls," _Naru remembered, feeling a tad silly.

"What I mean to say is… what's he like?" Otome continued.

Naru widened her eyes. It was such a simple question, but by no means would it ever lead to a simple answer. There were so many things to say about Keitaro, but at the same time, there were so few things to say about him as well. Rather, even _attempting_ to answer this question would be like finding the exit out of a labyrinth ornamented with hieroglyphics and quadratic polynomials.

"What's he like… um… ha… well, where to begin…"

Otome felt a short vibration from her jean pocket.

"Excuse me," she said to Naru, fishing out her cellphone and taking the call, "Hello?"

* * *

"Um, hi, it's me."

"Urashima-san, hey, I'm already at the dormitory!"

"Waaagh! I'm sorry, really I am! It's entirely my fault! I-"

"It's okay! Narusegawa-san told me you had an errand or some kind of meeting to attend to!"

"Errand? Um… erm oh yes! Errand! Yes! Had a really important errand! Sorry about that!"

"It's no big deal, really!"

"Wait! Did you just mention Naru?"

"Yeah, she's with me now! We literally bumped into each other!"

"That's great! Listen, we're just at the bottom of the steps, so we won't take too long!"

"Okay, looking forward to seeing you all!"

"Mm! See you soon!"

Keitaro pocketed his cellphone and nearly fainted from his largely relieved sigh. His incredible forgetfulness aside, he was so grateful that everything was somehow under his control again. He made a mental note to properly thank Naru for all of her help.

"I take it that was the new tenant," stated Kitsune.

Keitaro nodded. "She's already in the dormitory."

Kaolla sprung up and down with extra vitality. "The fourth tenant is here? Yippee! I can't wait to see her!"

The vibrant little blonde dashed up the steps, occasionally bouncing and hopping to accent her running pattern. Keitaro, Kitsune, Shinobu and Kotonoha chased after her, eager to catch up, and enthusiastic to see who the new girl was.

Kotonoha's smile never left her, as she ran as best as she could manage. She never half expected herself to adapt into this maddening Hinata-Sou lifestyle, but she was getting there, and she could almost see herself breaking out of her own solemn shell. Whilst it wasn't an instant transformation, the change was noticeable. She quickly became friends with Shinobu, and it was only a matter of time before she would become accustomed with everyone in the Hinata household.

* * *

Adrenaline growing, Kaolla slid the main door open and bounced towards the new girl immediately. Otome was startled at first, but acknowledged the foreigner's rapid handshake.

"Um, ha ha, it looks like Kaolla-chan beat us all!" Keitaro remarked before trying to compose himself. Naru prayed to the Gods that he wouldn't trip and stumble on top of the new tenant, and thankfully he didn't. "Um, anyway, pleased to meet you Katou-san! I'm glad you could finally arrive!"

Otome's first impressions of Keitaro were pretty much what she predicated, given the way he nervously spoke to her on the phone; kind of goofy looking, but at least he seemed polite and sincere. What surprised her was the number of tenants that arrived on the doorstep; there were certainly a lot more than she estimated.

She rose from her seat and bowed.

"Good afternoon! I'm Otome Katou, and I hope to get along with everyone!"

After her greeting, Otome rubbed the back of her hair, examining all of the new faces.

"Wow, I never expected to see so many people!" she admitted.

"There's two more as well!" Kitsune grinned, "Patty and Konata are working in the café at the moment!"

"It's real good fun!" Kaolla chimed in, "The food is yummy and the costumes are really cool!"

"Um, I'll keep that in mind," Otome replied, _"two more huh? This is going to take some getting used to."_

Trying to maintain calmness, Otome observed the girls from left to right. Each of them carried their own style and personality… but it was the girl on the furthest right that raised her curiosity. This girl had not yet uttered a single word when she entered the dormitory.

Otome cautiously approached the girl and stretched out her hand. "Hi there, pleased to see you."

The girl stood there without motion. Strands of violet concealed her eyes.

Noting the stagnant air surrounding her friend, Shinobu approached the girl and gently squeezed her hand. "What's the matter, Kotonoha-sempai?"

A discomforting chill suddenly ran all the way down Otome's spine; she withdrew her hand in a flash. She admitted; she did have a slight suspicion when she first laid eyes on her, but she never truly believed it, until Shinobu's meek words confirmed that she truly was the girl she remembered two years ago.

"Katsura-san…" Otome breathed, her words a trace of a whisper.

* * *

**Author: **Otome Katou is another character from School Days, and if you've already watched the anime, then you've already gathered that she and Kotonoha were not exactly the best of acquaintances.

One important thing that I must point out is the Hinata café/tea shop. For some reason, I seemed to have portrayed this place to be much larger than it is initially, so I apologise for that mistake. It's a small problem I know, but I still felt it needed addressing.

Thanks for the reviews, and I'll see you in the next chapter.

~Rdz


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